Recovery
by squeekness
Summary: Kimble is finally home, but he's a little worse for the wear. Part 22 of my Kimble series.
1. Chapter 1

Summary : Kimble is finally home, but he's a little worse for the wear. Part 22 of my Kimble series.

Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.

AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.

Art for Master, Beloved and Confessions has been added to my website if anyone is interested in looking at it.

Just to let you know, we are nearing the end of this series. I have five more pieces to post after this and then my Kimble series will be done. I do have another series after this one, called The Game that has all the same people in it. If enough of you are with me by the time Kimble ends, I will happily post it. It's long like this one was, though not quite as many pieces. -- SQ.

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(One)

Gambit dangled from the sky, hating every moment of this. Max had come to his rescue after the Rally and was now flying him and Kimble back to the Mansion as quickly as his young little wings could flap. His flight was enhanced by telekinesis and quite safe, but just the same, Gambit was never a big fan of being flown by telekinetic power. With no machine around you (i.e. a plane for instance, you know, a **real** one...) it seemed like you could fall at any time down to your death...a nice little Gambit smear on the ground. Max was forced to wear a harness with safety straps for his passengers, much like Fallen used, because he was still considered to be a trainee, but it gave little comfort. The ground was still whizzing by at impossible speed.

Making things worse was trying to hold Kimble steady in his arms. The pilot was in and out, thrashing a little and mumbling softly in Siskan.**_ "_****_We done the mostest baddest thing...we's so bad...we killded the Master!"_** He kept saying it over and over again in a soft, child like voice that wasn't really 'Shay's and not Kimble's either.

"Easy, Kim. You just 'ang tight fo' me, s'il vous plait. We almost home, little brother," Remy chanted steadily.

They left the city behind them, unmindful of the huge plume of smoke rising up into the sky, Yankee Stadium was burning down to the ground in spite of the efforts of their teammates. Max landed his party on the lawn out front and they went into the house, Remy huffing a little now because he had Kimble's full weight. Max offered to take him, but Gambit thought the boy was just too small to carry such an awkward burden. Besides that, Remy wasn't going to let Kimble out of his sight, not for a while. The pilot only weighed about a hundred pounds or so, less than a real man, but Remy was exhausted from running all the way from the stadium and having to fight Sabretooth afterwards. He was going to need some serious recoup time after this. The only comfort was that he had Kimble in his arms and they were finally, at last, home.

Gambit took Kimble down through the house to the lower level. He stepped out of the elevator and saw Molly and Seth waiting for him as if they'd known he was coming. He was surprised at first to see them, but then realized that they must have seen him coming through the Mansion's security cameras. Seth went into an immediate panic at the sight of Kimble's poor battered body. "What's wrong with him? He's a mess!"

"Saby run 'im t'rough de mill, fils. Dat's okay, we got 'im 'ome. We gonna take real good care of 'im now, je promets," Remy said, trying to do his best to relieve some of Seth's fears. He looked past the stricken Siskan and into Molly's fearful eyes. He knew he looked like shit and she must be frightened. "Je suis bien, Molly girl, I'm okay. Just need a hand gettin' Kimble situated, hien?"

Molly coughed her lion's bark at him and signed rapidly, **_Let me take him._**

He grinned and transferred Kimble's dead weight into her arms, grateful for the release of his burden. He was feeling every inch as wasted as he looked, one whole side of his face was terribly bruised and aching with a dull throb from when Sabretooth had hit him. He was thankful Molly was here to assist him and still marveled at how strong she was. She was small but so much more than she seemed.

Kimble rolled his head back and looked up with bleary eyes at his new handler. **_"_****_We done the baddest thing!"_** he announced to her, still in Siskan.

Molly looked up at Remy in confusion. She had no clue what he just said.

"Don' worry, chere. He okay. He just in a lot of pain," Gambit said. He was upset that Kimble would keep repeating this over and over. Kimble had saved him, heroically skewering the evil Sabretooth in his defense, why would Kimble think that was bad? Zander had been happy enough about it. Worse than that was this new voice, Remy didn't recognize it and it frightened him.

They all walked swiftly down to the holding cells, Seth's face a tight mask of worry. He'd understood the words Kimble had spoken and couldn't stop the feeling of intense dread that was creeping in on him. He was elated Kimble was home now, but his brother was seriously trashed. Clearly there would be no joyful reunion this day.

Remy opened one of the holding cells and programmed the shield to resist all of Kimble's powers. He wasn't locking Kimble up to punish him, he knew that the bounty on his friend was now active. No matter who might storm the mansion looking for him, they wouldn't be able to get to him in here. This whole section of the lower level had the most security and safety systems in place. No one would be able to get in or out without punching in the proper keycodes.

Molly gently lay Kimble down on the bed. He groaned and rolled over, sticking his legs out so his damaged feet hung over the edge. She stripped off his ruined clothing, slashing it off of him with a claw, and stepped back uncertainly. His body was covered with large ugly bruises as if he'd been beaten and they stood out sharply against the whiteness of his skin. Molly started to cover him, but he cried out when the blankets touched his ruined feet. She noticed for the first time that his large furry toes didn't look right. They looked smashed and broken as if they had been made of balls of rumpled paper. They were swollen and bruised, ugly. She didn't understand what was going on but knew that he must be in pain. She took his pillow and carefully slid it under his ankles, raising his feet so they didn't actually touch anything.

She couldn't help but marvel at this strange creature Remy had brought home. She'd heard the others talking about him, but hadn't actually seen him until now. He was very beautiful in spite of being so badly damaged. It was hard for her to tear her eyes away.

Kimble shuddered and greyed out, moaning softly.

"Kim? You still wit me?" Gambit asked, gently shaking his shoulder.

The pilot coughed and his eyes fluttered open briefly. He moved to cover his ears with trembling white hands and began to softly sob into the mattress. Remy sighed, knowing Kimble must be feeling guilty about what he'd done. "Don' do dis, Kimble. It ain't yo' fault. It's okay what you done to save me. It's okay, comprenez?"

Kimble wouldn't listen. Remy didn't understand that Kimble had so horribly betrayed his Master, had probably even killed him. It was the worst possible crime he could have committed. It obliterated everything the Quitter had done — the prostitutes, the cats...the baby. All he did was hurt people and betray those who loved him. So many dead faces paraded by his pain filled eyes. Gail, Kyle, possibly even the Master now, horribly damaged. Too many to forgive. Too many for him not to shatter completely a fourth and terrible time.

Remy wasn't sure what to do next so he just tucked him in, making sure the blanket covered him well enough. He paused when he saw the dog collar still around Kimble's neck, Molly hadn't taken if off. He scowled and removed it, his anger surging when he saw the tag -- "My Toy". What a fucking loser Saby was. He had no idea just how precious Kimble was, he'd been given a treasure and he treated it like a dog.

Gambit tossed the collar aside in disgust and sat next to Kimble on the floor at a loss. He charged a card and tried to get Kimble's attention with it. The Siskan locked eyes on the sizzling red card and reached out greedily with an unmistakable Zander growl. He took the Ristle but then his face crinkled in confusion. "Not enough..." he rasped.

Gambit charged another card, but oddly enough, when Zander tried to take the Ristle from it, he was unable to take more than just a small sip if it, in spite of grasping the card entirely in his hand. "Nots workin'..." the Punisher grumbled, a whine of frustration in his throat.

"Tell me what to do, Zandy," Remy insisted, worry making his voice shake a little.

"Gots ta have a real charge. Cain't heals without it..."

"You ain't takin' de Ristle, buddy. Gambit can't 'elp you."

Zander shuddered. "We needs plasma... The pain... 's hurtin' so bad..."

"What can I do, Zandy? 'Enry and de others won't be back fo' a while. Dey all back at de stadium takin' care of business. P'etetre, dey can fix you when dey get back, but we gotta do sumptin' fo' de meantime."

"Gots ta sleeps...hurts so bad..." A tear leaked out of one eye.

Remy looked up to Seth. "Any ideas?"

"Feed him or get him drunk," Seth suggested, his face still contorted in pain. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was trembling. He couldn't believe Kimble was this wrecked and wondered how he was even still awake. The damage he was seeing now had nothing to do with what he'd seen on the video file. Just how many times had Kimble been beaten like this during his stay with his horrible new Master? The thought of it filled him with such pain, his heart was aching and he wished Fallen were here. He needed her arms around him, her gentle voice in his ear. He was frightened.

"I got some whiskey in my room," Gambit offered, giving Seth's hand a squeeze. He'd seen the look in Seth's eyes and knew he was upset. He just had too much to do right now to comfort him the way he needed. He had to get Kimble taken care of first.

"Dragon's closer," Seth said and left in a hurry, grateful to have a job to do. Anything to take his mind off of Kimble's poor wrecked body.

"Hang on, cher," Remy soothed, turning back to Kimble.

"**_We done the baddest thing..."_** was the only reply. Zander was gone, too weak to stay in power.

"Shh. You hush wit dat now. Jus' lay quiet." He took one of Kimble's battered, dirty hands in his own and rubbed it with his thumbs, trying to soothe. The pilot had closed his eyes and was breathing heavily, each breath a tortured wheeze. He was in unbelievable pain and his lips moved in a silent wish for death.

**_/You have to do something/_** Shi'ow-ri whispered. **_/He is suffering./_**

_Gambit knows. Set' is comin' right back. Gotta wait._

Seth managed to return quickly in spite of his handicaps. He carried both a bottle of whiskey and another of Rishna. Rishna was the high calorie, high protein liquid lunch that pilots like Fallen used to feed themselves on long journeys so they wouldn't have to come off the pilot stick to eat. It had a sickly sweet taste, something Remy could smell even though the bottle was closed.

Gambit cocked his head at Seth. "What's dat for?"

"When I eat, I get sleepy, especially if it's something with a lot of sugar in it. If the whiskey doesn't work, give him the Rishna."

"You a quick boy, fils," Remy said with a smile.

Seth was pleased at the compliment and handed the bottles over.

"Gonna skip wit de trial an' error. Let's give 'im both," the thief suggested and uncorked the Rishna first. He gave Kimble a gentle nudge. "Open yo' mouth, buddy. Take dis down."

Kimble's eyes fluttered open and he groaned. Remy tipped his head back and poured a shot of Rishna into Kimble's mouth. He drank it, but grimaced from the taste. He liked sweet things, but this was too much. His hands fluttered up in protest, but Molly held him down. Remy next gave him a dose of whiskey. This was better and Zander returned quickly, growling and reaching out for more. Remy gave him a couple more shots and waited. The Punisher lay back gasping, his eyes glassy. " 'S better now."

"Is it enough? You want more?"

"Whiskey."

"Non. You want de whiskey, you gotta take de Rishna, too."

Zander nodded and did as he was told. It was working, Remy could see the pilot's eyes were growing heavy and his breathing was less labored. It took a third of the bottles each of the whiskey and Rishna, but Kimble finally closed his eyes for good and began to softly snore.

Remy bowed his head, exhausted himself now. He took a moment to whisper a soft prayer of thanks and then rose, shaking on his feet. He gathered Kimble's ripped up clothes and stepped out of the room, gesturing for Molly and Seth to follow him. They obeyed and he locked the cell, protecting his precious Kimble from harm.

"He's home. He's really home!" Seth said excitedly, his optimism rising to the challenge and dissipating some of his fear.

"Oui, cher. Tol' you, Gambit keeps his promises."

"Oh! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Seth cried and threw his arms around him, giving him a bone crunching squeeze of happiness. "I knew you could do it! You brought him home!"

Remy laughed, he couldn't help it. "Gambit's just glad he didn't let you down."

"You wouldn't. You can't," Seth mumbled against his chest.

Remy gave his head an affectionate pat. "Let dis boy go, eh? Gotta clean up, d'accorde?"

Seth released him, a little embarrassed, but then nervous. Gambit was bloody. "Okay."

**_I'll get you some clothes,_** Molly signed and started to leave. Unlike Seth, she was still very worried and doing her best to hide it. She was horrified at Remy's condition. At least her enhanced senses told her that the blood on his clothes wasn't his and he wasn't injured other than the big ugly bruise on his face. She wanted so much to just hug him and kiss him and make him feel better, but she knew he wouldn't allow it. There was still a measure of distance between them that only time would solve. She was too young to give him what she knew he desired from her and what she so very much wanted to give. Until then, she would have to satisfy herself with giving him what she could. Right now it seemed like a fresh set of clothes would have to do.

Remy had other ideas. He gently grasped her shoulder and turned her to look at him. "Non. You stay 'ere an' keep watch, s'il vous plait. Clothes alone ain't gonna do it. I'll shower right 'ere. If he even makes a sound, you come get me, d'accorde?"

She nodded and he shuffled off through a small door behind the Security desk. There was separate shower facility here for the prisoners to use. He chose to use this because he just didn't dare to go any farther away from where Kimble was. There were some blue generic sweats here with the school logo on them he could use. They would be baggy on him but he just didn't care. He washed quickly, doing his best to fight the sleep his body was demanding. He dressed and came out, disappointed that only Molly and Seth were waiting for him. He'd been hoping maybe some of the others had come back by now.

He used the Security phone to dial out and get a hold of the Professor who was working with Fury back at the Stadium. He managed to reach Charles but was told it might be hours before anyone else could return back to the house. The Stadium was burning. They got most of the folks out and the casualties were blessedly light, but there was still much to do. The most that could be done was for him to send a squad back to the house for security, but he didn't want to part with Henry or Maylee just yet. Kimble was stable, he would just have to hang. The Professor had confidence in the Mansion's defenses. Remy hid his irritation and agreed, what else could he do? Kimble was stable, but people had died back there. Henry was needed elsewhere. He hung up the phone and cursed softly.

"Are they coming?" Seth asked timidly.

Remy shook his head. "Non. Not just yet. We gotta keep watch for now."

**_Why don't you get some rest?_** Molly suggested.**_ Seth and I can stand guard here._**

"Oui, chere. Gonna use de bed in dat cell over dere. I activated all de shields fo' Security. No one can get down 'ere wit'out de code. When dey get 'ere or if Kim wakes up, you come an' get me, comprenez?"

**_Wee_,** she signed with a laugh, eager to do anything to make him smile.

It worked. He managed a smile for her joke and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. "Dat's my girl." He gave Seth's shoulder a squeeze and shuffled off to the nearest empty cell. He plopped down on the bed and was out like a light.


	2. Chapter 2

(Two)

Gambit woke when Molly gave his shoulder a gentle shake. He startled, bleary eyed and unsure of where he was. This wasn't his bed so he was immediately defensive – he came up aggressively with his fists and Molly jumped back with a grunt, her heightened senses allowing her an extra second to be on the defensive. He heard her noise and backed off as he became more awake.

"Uh, je suis de'sole, Molly girl. P'etetre, you best not be wakin' Gambit up when he ain't in his own bed, petite. Might get a nasty surprise we bot' gonna regret."

**_I'd be happy to test that theory sometime._**

He smiled at her, warmed by her tease. One of the things he liked most about her was her ability to let things slide. Rogue would not have taken so kindly to his rude awakening. "What's goin' on, fille?"

_**They're back. Henry and Fallen are on their way down with Mr. Logan.**_

He sat up, blinking blearily. He still wasn't all that with the program, but his smile grew wider when he next felt Molly's hands gently smoothing out his hair. It came with a vibration of her love and he knew she was still worried about him. The look of his face hadn't improved with his nap, the bruise from when Creed had punched him was ugly and purple. He reached for her and smiled. "Gambit's okay, chere. He just not quite with de program. When did de others get in?"

_**Not even five minutes ago.**_

"Si bien. Gambit's up," he groaned and stood up on shaky legs. He had stiffened as he had slept and now his body was one huge ache from all the running about and fighting. He heard the door to Security bleep as it was opened and made his way out. Fallen and Logan had arrived with Henry right behind.

"Where is he!" Fallen demanded as she entered, never breaking stride.

"Cell four. E's wrecked."

Logan snarled, his frustration evident. "He should be! If he knew what was going to happen, why'd he wait so fuckin' long ta call? We almost didn't make it!"

Remy had placed Kimble's rumpled clothing on the Security desk. He grabbed it now and tossed it at Wolverine. He had anticipated his teammate's response and kept these as evidence. " 'E had a little trouble finding a phone!" he snarled between clenched teeth.

Logan unfolded the shirt and sniffed it. It reeked of sex, garbage and Sabretooth's blood, an odd mix that made Logan's face wrinkle in confusion. There was a faint scent of a woman, Chanel and plastic --- Creed's plasma girl. The shirt was ripped and full of bullet holes, Kimble had been through a lot this day. He cursed softly and asked in a much gentler tone, "Is he all right?"

"Oui, but I t'ink 'e got shot. De bullets musta went t'rough him and de wounds closed up or sumptin'. 'E's all bruised up and dere's sumptin wrong wit 'is feet. Dey don' look right and it 'urts for 'im to walk. He's sleepin' now, or 'e was. 'E might be up now." He looked at Logan. "He helped us. Saby shot 'im full of holes and 'e still helped us. I saw de news. It coulda been a lot worse. A lot worse." Remy was still quite tired and his voice shook with emotion. He said nothing about Zander's bizarre rescue, he had nowhere to begin to explain that one.

"I know," Logan agreed, lowering his voice a little. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was really tired as well, they all were. "He did as best he could, I guess."

"I t'ink 'e really needs to 'ear it, patron. 'Specially from you."

Logan nodded slowly. "I'll go talk to him."

He kept the rumpled shirt and walked over to Kimble's cell. He looked in and saw the pilot curled up on the bed. Logan could tell Kimble was awake now, his eyes were open. He passed his hand over the security panel. It beeped and he went inside.

"Hey, kid," Logan grumbled.

Kimble didn't move. He lay on the bed and faced the middle of the room, his eyes staring sightlessly forward. He had taken the small blanket Molly had covered him with and wrapped it tightly around his head and shoulders like a shroud, only his face was peeking out. His breathing was shallow as if he didn't want the air his body forced him to take and he shivered as though he were freezing. His nakedness revealed the extent of the day's abuse, his body was battered and bruised all over. His hands were curled up at his throat and trembling slightly. Logan moved into his line of sight and sat against the wall, not quite sure what to say.

The pilot saw him there and whispered softly, "**Checknasay rehan talef**."

Logan cocked his head at the soft, child like voice that came from him. This wasn't Lakotashay, the voice was much younger and didn't have her hostility. It was filled with fear and shyness, a tiny child, and not the least bit threatening. Wolverine glanced to the door and saw that Remy was now sitting on the Security desk, giving them a respectful distance. Fallen was there holding Seth in her arms, it had been a long day without him. Henry was quiet as well, trying to give Logan some space. There were things that needed to be said.

"What did he say?" Logan asked to the crowd.

" 'E say 'We done de baddest t'ing', " Remy replied first.

"Why? What happened?"

In a strained and halting voice, Remy attempted to explain what Zander had done. He'd thought Kimble was down for the count from Sabretooth's abuse, but the Punisher had risen to the occasion and worked his magic to save the life of his friend. He'd become the Channeler he was destined to be, Remy's would be Guardian Angel. As he explained, Gambit could see quickly that Logan understood that Kimble had used his sword trick again. It didn't keep the look of wonder from Wolverine's face, it really was something that had to be seen to be truly believed. This had been Remy's second time and he still didn't want to believe it himself.

"**Checknasay rehan talef!**" the pilot repeated with a sob and a tear leaked out of one eye. He slid the shroud open and turned onto his back, groaning in pain. He pleaded to Logan with his eyes, arching his back and exposing his throat. **"Checknasay rehan telef! Freeman showree preemast!" **

"Non!" Remy shouted sharply, standing quickly.

Wolverine watched this, hopelessly confused. "What did he just say?"

"He want you to kill him," Gambit replied on his way over. His face was tight with worry and pain. He sat down next to Kimble on the bed and touched his face. " 'Ey little brother, what's your pain, neh? What's goin' on wit you?"

"**_We's bad, Remy,"_** the pilot repeated, still in Siskan.

"Dat you, Kim, or someone else? Who's dis talkin' to me now?"

"**_Lin,"_** came the tiny whispered reply. Lin meant to confess in Siskan, a bit of a puzzle. What did this mean?

"What's dis, eh? Why you 'ere?"

"_**Cuz we's dangerous. We broked the rules, hurted people. I gots ta be warning peoples so they'll be safe from us. It ain't safes ta be 'round us. Kills us! It's the only way to stops us from killding peoples!" **_

"No one's gonna kill nobody. All dat stops now," Remy insisted.

"**_No! You gots ta kills us! Do it! Do it now!"_**

"Ne jamais! It ain't gonna happen. Gambit didn't work so 'ard to bring you back just so you can die right 'ere!"

"**_Gots to keep evraone safe. If you ain't gonna kills us, we gots ta stay in the small spaces sos we cain't hurts no one. Just 'til 'Shay does fer us. We gots ta die, we's killded the Master. She'll takes care of us! We's done the baddest bloodiest thing!"_** Lin wailed in a tiny child's voice. It seemed as though he could be no more than three or four years old, much too young to be in such mental agony. He pulled the blankets back to where they had been, he was hiding them away, keeping Remy safe.

"What was that?" Logan asked. Lin only spoke in Siskan. Some of the X-men had been offered a brief course in Siskan but few had been interested in learning the dead language. Henry had been the only one, but he was only just learning and of little help. Remy, Seth or Fallen would have to be little Lin's translators.

Remy put his head down at Lin's words and his shoulders started to shake. Was there no end to this? To Kimble's terrible sickness? All he felt was guilt. If he had watched over Kimble with more care when he was sneaking out, this would never have happened.

"Kimble, don' do dis..."

"**_You should go,"_** Lin said, gently laying a hand on Remy's. His fingers were cold.**_ "You kin git sick from bein' so close ta us. We kills. We hurts and we kills like a sickness. We hurted the Master, hurted him real bad. We killded him. That's 'gainst the law. We's bad, Remy,"_** he repeated, slowly taking his hand away and tucking it back under the blanket. _**"We's so bad."**_

"What's he sayin'?" Logan repeated, a little more insistently this time. It bugged him that he couldn't understand.

" 'E keep sayin' he bad. He a sickness cause 'e 'urt people. He 'urt de Master, Saby 'is Master. He t'ink Saby's dead. He shatter again. Fuckin' Christ!" Gambit explained bitterly, tears leaking out of his eyes and his voice not quite steady. "Dis's Lin. De Confessor. He gonna tell everybody how bad he is so people will stay away from him. Dat why he keep sayin' de same t'ing over and over."

Logan sighed and took out a pack of cigarettes. He shook one out and lit it, smoking quietly for a moment while he sifted Kimble's mangled shirt in his hands. He could still see Kimble's face even though Remy was there and they looked at one another, the shattered pilot and the man. Once, Logan might have been happy to see Kimble's spirit so badly broken like this. Now all it did was make him feel sick. He was thoughtful before he spoke, his eyes locking Lin's with purpose.

"I never really believed much in fate. I figure shit happens and that's pretty much it. Heh, I'd hate to think that I was meant to be as mean and ornery as I am. This case, though, I think maybe you were meant to run away and have all of this shit happen to you," he said, making Gambit quirk an eyebrow in surprise. "See, if you hadn't run off and done all that stupid shit ya did, you wouldn't have been there to warn us about the bombing at all. We wouldn't have known it was even gonna happen. Lot more folks'd be dead... and so would all of us. Twenty thousand people, Kimble --- Lin --- or whatever the hell ya wanna call yerself now. Women and children. 'Cause of you, most of 'em made it. Seems ta me, you should be real proud of yourself, not layin' here feelin' like you ain't worth shit."

Lin closed his eyes and shook as he started to cry.**_ "It ain't true. We's junta bay, the worstest evilest thing in the whole wide world. You hafta be killding us! It's the law!" _**

Logan didn't need Remy's translation to understand **junta bay**. He'd heard those words before and had an idea what they meant. He got to his feet and crouched down next to Remy to lay a gentle hand on Kimble's shoulder. It was the first time he'd touched the pilot without hurting him. He closed his eyes and tried to let the pilot feel all of his regret and shame at how he'd misjudged him. He knew no other way to try and repair the damage he had caused. He felt just as guilty as Remy did at the idea that Kimble may have split even further.

"Ya did good today, kid. You ain't bad, this **junta bay**, whatever that means. Yer brave and honest and loyal. Yer good and yer kind in yer heart. You tried as best ya could to protect everybody and ya did just fine with what ya had to work with. Honor, Courage, Loyalty an' Sacrifice. Fallen said ya know them an' ya do.

"I'm...I'm sorry fer what I said b'fore at the warehouse. It ain't true 'bout you bein' some kind of monster. The only monster there was me, chewin' ya out fer somethin' that had nuthin' ta do with you. That guy hurt me real bad...an'...an' I guess I just wanted ta hurt someone back. It shouldn't have been you an' I'm sorry. Real sorry. Do ya fergive me?"

Lin blinked at him, his lashes wet with tears. **_"You wuz right about us. You tried to warn evraone that we wuz dangerous an' hurtsful an' mean an' no one would listen. How kin we fergives ya when ya ain't done nuthin' wrong?" _**

Remy translated quickly and Logan sighed in frustration. "No, kid. What **I **done was very wrong. I judged ya fer something you didn't do --"

"**_Yes, we did!"_** Lin insisted.**_ "We's rapin' and' killding', hurtin' and shreddin' apart! We kills whatever we touch!"_** he bawled with a pained sob and yanked back, covering his head completely now.

"Oh, no you don't!" Remy said, growing angry now from his frustration. "Don' you 'ide from me, not now, not ever!" He yanked the blanket back and caught Lin when he squirmed. Gambit was rough, but he was pulling Lin close to him, taking him into his arms and giving him no escape. "Dere ain't no sickness in you," he insisted more gently now, trying to send out as powerful a love vibration as he could. "You didn' do nuthin' to nobody. All dey done was fuck wit you, fuck wit yo' head so badly you can't t'ink straight!"

Lin shuddered and wept, relaxing and falling into Remy's embrace. He buried his head in Remy's chest and grabbed him tightly, digging in with his nails as if he were afraid the thief would leave him. **_"We's so scared! We's gonna hurts people! We don' wanna hurts nobody...don't wanna hurts nobody no more...!"_** his tiny voice trailed off into wracking sobs.

"Shh...shh...quiet now, mon petit. Shh...dis all one terrible nightmare and it's over now. You home now, little brother. We gonna take care of you...Shh..." Remy soothed, rocking Lin until he cried himself out and released his painful grip on his arms.

"**_We loves you, Remy..."_** Lin said softly, sniffing. He was wasted, it showed in his face and in the hoarseness of his voice. **_"We loves evrabody. Don' wanna hurts nobody no more..." _**

"I know, I know...shh..paisible, oui, paisible maintenant," Gambit said, laying the pilot back carefully and covering him back up again. "Everybody loves you, too. Everyone 'ere. Nobody's gonna 'urt you ever again."

Logan reached out to Lin again. "The Cajun's right. We're gonna look after ya now, keep ya safe. You think on what I said. Yer good and ya do belong here, just as much as any one of us -- even Remy, 'though I know he don't always think so. I was just too stubborn ta see it. Don' let no one make ya think any different. Not even me." He gave Lin's shoulder a gentle squeeze and slipped away.

Remy watched him go, still a little surprised by his words. Logan was genuinely remorseful over what had happened and it showed. Fallen and Seth came in as Wolverine walked out.

Fallen went to Kimble and took the blanket away gently in spite of Lin's tiny protests. She wanted to look at his body and make sure he was okay. She ran her hands over him looking for wounds. He was too weak to fight her and Gambit steadied him with soothing words. Fallen cried out in soft dismay when she saw his body was badly bruised and his feet didn't look right at all. He didn't take any Ristle from her, something that puzzled her. With this much damage, she should be well on her way to the Black Room.

"He's not taking Ristle," she complained to the air.

"Je sais. I know, chere," Remy replied. "It de same wit me. P'etetre, 'cause 'e got all melted, 'e can't take it no more."

She whispered in Kimble's ear and brushed his dirty hair back from his eyes. Lin looked at her and said again, **_"We done the baddest thing. We gots ta die for it. We's too bad an' ugly ta live." _**

"No, Kim. You're wrong. You were so very brave today. I'm so proud of you and I love you so much."

Lin pulled back away from her in frustration and reached feebly for the blanket. Remy helped him and once more, Lin covered up all the way in his makeshift shroud. Only his face peeked out, his dirty face streaked with tears and dried blood from his poor dead Master.

"**_We's bad, Fallen. Don' touch us, you'll git sick. Don' wanna hurt nobodys no more. We'll just wait here and make it small 'till we die,"_** he closed his eyes and shuddered. His feet were one huge agony.

Seth stood behind her, watching. He was crying softly now, in misery himself from his brother's heart wrenching words. He bent down and gently moved Remy aside, wanting his turn. He couldn't touch Kimble directly, Fallen had taken a moment to caution him that the plasma in Kimble's body might injure him. He put his face very close to Lin's, one tear streaked Siskan to another. He was hoping that now that his brother had rested some, he might get Kimble, the Lover, to come around. "Kimble, please. Talk to me. I need to hear from you so badly."

The pilot's body shuddered once and a strange bewildered expression crossed his face. "Seth?"

Seth couldn't help but smile, Kimble had spoken. "Yeah. I'm here. Really, really here."

"You gots glasses on."

"Yeah, the lights hurt my eyes," he replied with a soft laugh. "Fallen says they make me look handsome."

"You always wuz prettier than me," Kimble said, his voice terribly sad. "You never got in no trouble, never caused nobody no pain."

"**_We done the baddest things,_**" Lin repeated, his words leaking around the edges of Kimble's.

"It's going to be okay, Kimble. You'll see," Seth said, new tears running down his cheeks. He had never thought of himself as better than Kimble and it pained him to hear his brother speak this way.

Kimble started to reach out with his hand to brush the tears away, but Fallen gently blocked him. "The plasma, Kimble Bee. You can't touch him."

Kimble's focus changed to her as if he noticed her there for the first time. The pain from his mangled feet came crashing in on him now that he was more aware and he bawled suddenly, "Fix me, Fallen, please! It hurts so bad!"

She couldn't help but cry. "I... I don't think I can. I'm touching you, but nothing's happening."

Kimble snarled in frustration and curled up even tighter, withdrawing as Lin had. The pain was swallowing him up. He was drowning in it.

"Henry's here," she soothed. "We'll figure this out, don't worry."

Seth reached out and lay a hand on his brother's covered shoulder. He spoke gently in Siskan and Kimble nodded, turning away. He should have been overjoyed to see his brother, but he was exhausted and in too much pain to realistically enjoy the reunion.

Gambit wasn't far away. He tried to soothe Kimble with his voice as he had done with Lin, but he could see the light dimming from his friend's eyes as he started to go into shock. Apparently, Lin wasn't as sensitive to the pain and it hadn't swamped him like it was doing to Kimble now.

Henry came in and checked Kimble out. He could see the Siskan was in pain but had no idea of how to help him. If he couldn't take the Ristle, he wouldn't be able to heal. Kimble was in pain and suffering horribly. Remy explained to him how he and Seth had given the Siskan whiskey and Rishna to make him sleep. Beast was impressed with their sharp thinking and made some notes. He would do his best to combine the two drinks in such a way that a medicine could be prepared ahead of time in case it was needed. He used the bottles now to dose the pilot again and observed him closely to best judge his reactions. After a short while, Kimble's eyes once more grew heavy and he passed out, no longer crying in pain. Henry was grateful to see him go down, at least he could alleviate his terrible suffering. The trick now was to discover a way to heal him.


	3. Chapter 3

(Three)

Four hours or so after the first wave of X-men made it home, Nick Fury showed up with the Professor. It had taken that long to put out the horrible fire at the Stadium, get the wounded shipped out and the bad guys caged. In all the confusion that followed the Rally, Sabretooth's body was never found and it was unclear if he'd been taken or if he'd somehow managed to walk away from Zander's sword. Things had finally settled down enough from all that that Fury could spare the time to come here for a short visit. He wanted to see Kimble for himself and verify that the troublesome Siskan had in fact been brought into custody. He took one look at the damaged hologram and just about made his mind that there was no real danger there. The guy looked half dead as it was.

Fury had brought some papers with him and a small meeting was held in the War Room. Charles was there with Logan and Remy. Seth and Fallen were included as family and Karen as the resident psychologist. Henry was also present as Kimble's doctor. Molly remained with Kimble back in the holding cells, she would call if there was any change in his condition.

Logan and Fury knew each other best here and it was decided early on that the two of them would handle most of the negotiations. Remy was nervous about Wolverine's loyalties but would just have to trust his teammate to look out for Kimble's best interests here. Logan nodded at Fury and the two men regarded each other now, both respectful and comfortable with one another.

"I want assurances Kimble won't be getting out right away," Nick said, spreading out his papers on the table in front of him.

"He stays in the lockup as long as you want," Logan said. "We had a deal made back in September. It still stands. You know you can trust me."

Nick nodded. "Sorry you didn't get him back then. It's almost unfair. I got Cameron Bishop and you guys got nothing."

"Not exactly nothing. If he'd been picked up then, all them folks back there woulda died today."

"What do you mean?"

"It was Kimble who warned us about the bombing at Yankee Stadium. That was his call, he was the one that phoned in. He went through hell ta get that warnin' out to us."

"How did he know what Sabretooth was going to do?"

Logan sighed. "He didn't until the last minute. He'd been in Sabretooth's custody awhile, that's why we were trying to track Creed down. Jael paid Creed to hand him over, but Creed changed his mind. He saw Kimble was valuable and decided to keep him fer himself. Kimble made the cloaks Creed's men were using today, Saby made him build them. Kim didn't know what they were for exactly, but when he found out, he warned us. It wasn't easy. All the damage ya see on him now came from Saby tryin' ta stop him from helpin' us. Only seven people were killed. Seven outta 'a crowd of twenty thousand. Cut the kid some slack, Nick. This is me askin'."

Nick considered his answer. "This isn't the first time one of your bunch got out of hand. A lot of favors were done here over this deal and I can't argue that it didn't work out for the best. Creed's still out there loose, but we picked up Davis and most of the crew Sabretooth was using thanks to your Nightcrawler. We got the barge and the helicopters that were used, most of the mules, too. Too bad the stadium burned down, but that happened after we got everybody out. We wouldn't have had that opportunity without Kimble. Your boy started the chain that made all of these arrests possible and I won't forget it."

"I'm holdin' you to that. It wasn't his fault what went down on Baltimore. He was messed up from Cameron, just like he's all messed up now from Creed."

The Head of SHIELD nodded his head thoughtfully. "All right. You've been saying all along Kimble killed that security guard in Baltimore because he'd been abused, brainwashed."

"Something like that, yeah. He was damaged in a fight and Cameron took advantage of it. Got proof." Logan handed him a thick stack of papers. "That's Kimble's file. A bunch of us put it together, it's pretty complete. There's a statement there that documents when Kimble was melted. Got some police reports made from the folks that were there at the bar when it happened."

"Do I want to know how you got those?" Nick asked, his one eye playful.

Logan just grinned. "Probably not. Anyhow, we got proof Kimble was melted and then Cameron did a fuck job on his head. He wasn't right when he shot that guard."

Nick nodded. "All right."

Logan next gave him a copy of the tape made from Creed's apartment. "This is a tape made after he was broken, but you can see the damage. He's fractured, four different people. It's pretty ugly on there, probably should lock that up. Got a statement there from Leon, too. He didn't sign it or nuthin', but Kennedy was there with me when he made it. It's trustworthy."

"We've known each other a long time. Your word is good enough," Nick said, being oddly candid. "Kennedy's a good man, too." He sighed and straightened, locking Logan with his eye. The negotiations were now beginning. "He stays locked up until his degree of dangerousness can be ascertained."

"Agreed."

"I'll take Karen Richards' word for it, she files the reports. I want them on my desk in five days, tops. Any later than that and Kimble is moved to one of my facilities."

"Agreed."

"He doesn't leave the holding cells without permission from me."

"Agreed."

"He doesn't leave the house without permission from me."

"Agreed."

"He wears a tracking bracelet and is monitored at all times."

"Agreed."

Nick paused, glancing up at Seth. The young Siskan stood next to his Mistress. Her hand was on his arm possessively. "You guys told me a while back that a Siskan needs a Master, right?"

"Yeah."

"Who's his Master now? Charles?"

"Non. It's me," Remy said, stepping forward to make his claim.

"He used to be mine," Fallen said, still not sure this was best.

"Yeah, and you fucked it up," Gambit said, being harsh as a means to make his point in front of Nick. He held his chin up and fixed Nick with his glittering red eyes. " 'E's mine."

"I got a file on you bigger'n than this one of Kimble's back in my office," Nick said, his face hardening. He wasn't impressed with the young man before him. The big bruise on the side of Remy's face did nothing to ease that fear. He'd known about Gambit for a long time and wasn't too happy with this decision. "You're a Thieves Guild brat, got your start nice and early. Got a string of unsolved robberies back in New Orleans with your name all over them. Got some Interpol stuff on you, too. That job you pulled in Hong Kong? Sweet. Too bad we couldn't pin it on you, but we all know who it was. I'll bet those Swedish friends of yours paid a bundle for those paintings."

Remy was silent, but a small arrogant smile of pride teased the corners of his mouth. He'd pulled that Hong Kong job about three years ago. He told Charles he was going on vacation, he didn't want the X-men involved. He'd stolen three priceless paintings from drug lords there and the Swedes who'd hired him paid him well over twenty million dollars. The Swedes were only recovering property that had belonged to them in the first place, the drug lords had hired one Thieves Guild associate to steal them while the Swedes hired Remy to get them back. No longer belonging to the Guild, Remy could've cared less. It had been a challenging score and one he'd enjoyed, never mind the money. What Fury didn't know of course was that Remy had given over half of his fee to many of the orphanages in New York City. Gambit's charitable donations didn't always stay local. He'd seen a commercial on televison and a million more of it went as an anonymous gift to a foundation that was building hospitals in Africa, something that had made the thief intensely happy. He'd seen the faces of the suffering children and he didn't even think twice about whipping out his checkbook. His present surge of pride didn't last, however, Fury wasn't quite finished. His next words robbed all the good humor from Remy's face.

"I understand you got a fine brace of scars ripped right across your chest, too. We all know who gave 'em to you if not the why. Got my suspicions, though. Mayhem and Wipeout passed through my facility not long ago. Your name was mentioned. Got anything you want to confess?"

Remy shivered inwardly, he couldn't help it. Those were two of the Marauders that he'd led down into the Morlock tunnels. He wasn't quite sure what to say so he fell back on old habits and lied smoothly, "Never 'eard of dem, but Gambit's a popular fellow. 'E get blamed fo' all kinda shit."

"Who said they accused you of anything?"

Remy was quiet, his eyes hard.

Fury wasn't finished. "Why should I trust you? This might be more than you can handle."

"There are extenuating circumstances," Charles said, interrupting before things got out of hand. "The decision's been made. He belongs to Remy now. It will all be supervised. You have my word."

"I want reports," Nick said, not entirely happy.

"You will have them," the Professor promised.

Nick handed Gambit a paper. "Sign here."

Gambit took it and scrawled his name. This paper was a custodial document, legal and binding. It was official now, Kimble was his. Whatever happened from here on now, he was legally responsible for anything his new charge did. Gambit didn't take this lightly. He was outwardly calm, but inside he was quaking. He was now as good as Kimble's parent, the caretaker of an unruly teenager who happened to be insane. Lord, what was he getting himself into?

He stepped back and felt Seth touch him lightly as he passed. **_/It will be okay, you aren't alone. I love you and I will help you/_** Shi'ow-ri whispered to Remy, translating the message of the vibration that just passed into him. Gambit smiled at him, happy to know it.

Some more papers were handed out and signed. Charles was in charge of Kimble's incarceration and rehabilitation. Karen would be the psychologist in charge and she would file reports directly to SHIELD and Nick Fury himself. Henry McCoy would provide medical reports on Kimble's physical recovery from the injuries he'd received. Logan would act as liaison between them all.

On top of this, Kimble was now a documented mutant. He was issued identity cards and a Social Security number, making Kimble, for all intents and purposes, a real person now. This was done to help keep track of his records as they passed through the SHIELD computers.

"So you didn't pick up Creed?" Logan asked Fury when they were finished.

"Nope. We sent a crew out looking where you said his body would be. We found some blood and some bloody chunks, but that was it."

Remy shook his head. "No way 'e gonna walk away from what Kimble done."

"What was that?"

Remy realized his mistake quickly and again lied so smoothly, only another X-man would have known it. "Kimble's telekinetic. 'E grab a piece of pipe, he use it like a sword. He almost slice Saby in two wit it."

Logan stepped up, pushing Remy back a little. "No. That ain't what went down."

Fury crossed his arms in irritation. "What's going on.?"

"There's a reason Sabretooth had Kimble with him. Jael paid him to steal Kimble from us."

"What's that?"

Logan began to explain about Kimble's little sword trick.

Remy cursed sharply, but felt the Professor's hand touch him and with it, a telepathic message. _It's better this way, Remy. We can't alienate Fury with lies. We need him to fight against Jael._

_Wolvie boy's gonna scare Fury so bad, he's never gonna let my Kimble get out!_

_It won't happen. Fury has always been a reasonable man._

Remy didn't want to hear it. He leaned back against the table and put his head down. He sent out a complaint, not to the Professor, but to his advisor inside. _I ain't gonna lose my Kimble._

**_/It won't happen, we won't let it/ _**Shi'ow-ri answered.**_ /It's your love that will set him free, not this man./ _**

The Professor cocked his head slightly. He'd caught her first words right before Remy's mental shields came down. It was enough to make him wary. He didn't get a chance to add anything more, Logan was finishing up and Fury was speaking.

"Sabretooth's one tough bastard, he can take a lot. But actually, we're guessing Jael picked him up, wanting some payback for botching up the job. We know he had spies in the area, stands to reason he'd know where Creed was."

"Probably right."

"I'll let you know if I hear anything." Fury turned on Gambit. "You're in custody of Kimble not even five minutes and you've already lied to me. We're not exactly getting off on a good start here, son."

"Just afraid you ain't gonna give my boy a fair shake is all. He ain't no monster, c'est la ve'rite'."

"I'll be the judge of that. I catch you lyin' to me again and I'll have your ass, that's a promise. Now, one last thing before I go, you guys know about the bounty, right? The one on Creed?"

"Yeah."

"It's not just on him, it's on Kimble, too. Guess now I know why. You guys had best be careful. The goons'll be coming out of the woodwork, itching to collect."

"Security won't be a problem," Wolverine promised. "But thanks fer the heads up. We'll keep our eyes out."

"If you get into a jam, just give me jingle."

"Thanks."

Nick shook hands with everybody and left, satisfied.

Fury's grilling aside, Gambit was breathing a little easier, Kimble was no longer a wanted man, he would be a prisoner in Xavier's makeshift mental hospital. It was probably the safest place for him to be at the moment. Who knew what freaks were going to come out of the woodwork to try and cash in on the bounty. He was safer here with the whole team protecting him than anywhere else.

-----------------------------------

The next twenty-four hours saw a lot of activity at the Xavier mansion. One of the first things Wolverine did upon his return was beef up security around the house. He wasn't about to wait for Jael to show up before deciding there weren't enough defenses in place. All the X-men that had reported to the stadium were now in patrols around the house or staying within the mansion itself. No one would be able to try anything here and walk away.

It didn't take long for the riffraff to start showing up, not even an hour after Nick Fury left, the raids began. Jael had issued a substantial bounty on Kimble and there were many eager to collect. They met only resistance and were sent packing. In spite of his exhaustion, Logan was out there with his crew, viciously fighting them off and taking out his frustrations on whatever target presented itself. He was upset at Kimble's condition, pained that he saw only guilt and shame coming from the pilot. He felt responsible for some of it and let that anger dissipate out in battle. The bodies began piling up and SHIELD was called out with a paddy wagon to come pick the losers up. Logan made a crack that Kimble had been the best lure to get some of this garbage off the streets. Fury was going to have build another jail.

Karen watched her lover battle, knowing it was best to let him work off his frustrations. He hadn't killed anyone, he was just beating them to a bloody pulp. He said nothing to her but when he came in to rest, would simply stand very close to her, sometimes leaning against her with his eyes closed to better breathe her in. He wanted her, but was too riled up to just reach out. When he was ready, he would come and she would try to ease his pain.

Charles wasn't too happy with all the activity taking place outside his walls. He knew the team could handle it, so far Jael hadn't pulled out the big guns. Hopefully the terrorist had suffered enough of a setback after being forced to relocate that he'd think twice about showing up here himself. The Professor wasn't quite sure what to do about Kimble, though. He had considered moving him somewhere else but this place had the best security of all of his schools and had the best medical facilities. He didn't dare risk moving the pilot until the extent of his injuries could be determined.

Also taking place was a small private funeral ceremony for two of the lesser X-men who had been killed at the Rally. They were new additions to the team and hadn't been here long. Like a number of the castaways that had come to Xavier's, they were buried in a private cemetery that adjoined the grounds. Charles had manipulated the system to make this burial ground legal. Those mutants that had been registered in some way were buried there as family instead of in the flower field as the Clansmen had been. The service was somber, but Charles always had good and inspiring things to say about those who passed away in the cause of peace. They would be remembered fondly.

In the meantime, Kimble stayed in bed in the holding cell while the X-men waited for him to discharge the plasma he had remaining in his body. They didn't understand fully all of the transformations he'd gone through. They thought perhaps the plasma was disorienting him and he would do better once it had dissipated. In the meantime, Fallen came in and gave him sips of Ristle in the hopes he could be coaxed into using that as his power source as he had before.

Henry had examined him, cataloging his injuries. His feet had been horribly damaged, he would cry out and whimper whenever Beast touched them even when he was gentle. The doctor was at a loss. Fallen's attempts to repair him with her Ristle just didn't work. Remy came and had a turn, but his Ristle was no better than hers. Kimble just didn't seem to be able to absorb enough energy from either of them to do him any good.

Henry would bleed him a little every few hours just to see if the plasma was breaking down. It had to be a visual test because Kimble's blood would just shimmer away. Over time, there was less and less orange streaks in his fluid. In theory, he should be getting better, but it wasn't happening. Instead, Kimble was growing colder. Henry forced his uncooperative patient to swallow a probe and took his body temperature. Kimble's inner core temperature was falling. Henry was at his wits end. This should be a good thing, but instead it was making Kimble sick. The core temp was higher than it had been when Kimble first arrived here, but even when he raised the heat in Kimble's cell, Kimble would just sit and shiver.

Kimble wrapped up in his blankets all the time and slept, crying out broken apologies in his dreams. He flipped back and forth between the Kimble and Lin personalities and over time, Kimble came less and less. Fallen would hold him, hopelessly perplexed as the Lover called out for forgiveness or begged for someone called Kristalay to hit him, he deserved it so. As he grew colder and Lin came more often, the tiny childlike personality begged her to leave him, that it wasn't safe to be around him. She refused and he didn't fight her. As much as Lin protested, he wanted to be held and cuddled. He would cling to whomever was holding him in quiet desperation, always repeating how he'd been so bad.

Fallen found the changes in Kimble hard to understand and hard to deal with. She still wasn't convinced his personality separation was real, she wanted it so much to be a game, one Kimble could be convinced to abandon with enough love and caring. She wanted to ask him so many things about his adventures while he was gone, but he was so wrecked she figured it was best to wait until he recovered enough to speak of them if he wished.

The pilot never did. He was increasingly sluggish and unresponsive. As the first day bled into the second, he stopped talking. Even Lin's tiny voice grew silent. Other than Leon's sketchy tale, they had no idea what had happened to Kimble while he was gone. Fallen would sit with him for long periods, but all he wanted was to be held so he could feel her heat. He wouldn't talk to her in spite of all her efforts.

He refused to eat, but wanted to drink all the time like he was unbearably thirsty. The first day after his nap, he'd gulped down a cupful of water only to vomit it right back again. He was on ice chips after that. Ice chips and a tonic that Henry had devised from the whiskey and Rishna concoction Remy had tried, they were the only thing that gave the Siskan any relief from his pain.

------------------------------------

Kimble was dreaming. He was back in his prison cell on Siska, back in the box. He could feel the heavy restraining collar on his neck and the chains on his arms, there would be no escape. He heard the large wooden door open and looked up to see two members of the Siskan Council walk in with Sheyman right behind them. Kimble's former Master was free from illness, vital and alive. Kimble called out to him but stopped in mid-sentence when Sheyman gave him a dark look. "You been bad, Kim. Real bad. I hates ta do this to ya, but I'm gonna hafta putcha down, baby doll. Yer just too dangerous."

"Father, please!" Kimble pleaded. "I'll be good, I promise!"

"Sorry, Kim, but I just cain't trust ya."

Kimble watched in horror as his father came around him and hooked a box onto the collar. This was a pulse box, it would send out a large blast of electricity, enough to destroy him. This is how all the renegade 'grams were put down. He called out to his maker but it did him no good. Sheyman reached out to the box and flipped the switch.

Kimble jerked awake on his bed, gasping. He was suffering badly here from his injuries and the terrible dream hadn't helped. All it did was swamp him with more guilt. He groaned and curled up, sobbing. _What did ya do to us, Zander? It wuzn't suppozeta happen like this!_

_I'm sorry. I didn't mean ta git ya all busted up, I just had ta git us back here and away from the Master. He wuz bad, Kim. He wuz a very bad man._

Kimble sobbed. _The Master...ya killed him! How could you! Uhhgg...!_

**_WE DONE THE BADDEST BLOODIEST THING!_ **Lin wailed, his voice huge in the black circle of Kimble's poor shattered mind.

_They gots ta kills us now,_ Kimble sobbed. _All the things we done. We ain't no good fer nuthin!_

_Don't worry, Kim. If they won't do it, I'll take care of it, _Lakotashay promised, happy.

_Hey! I done what I had to!_ Zander protested. _He wuz gonna kill yer Remy! Hell, I'll bet they're gonna gives us to him fer savin' his life! You heard Wolverine! We saved alla them women and children! We're heroes! Just like Kyle said we wuz gonna be!_

_We ain't no heroes! _Kimble wailed. _We're fuckin' garbage. The Siskan council said we wuz bad an' they wuz right! There ain't nuthin' good about us! We haves ta die, it wouldn't be right to keep us alive. _

_All we needs is a good Master, Lover,_ Zander said, a little more kindly now. _That's what all the trouble's been._

_We ain't good for no more Masters!_ Kimble said, his conviction firm. _If they ain't gitten sick, they're shot and stabbed cuz 'a us. We're ruined, corrupted, fucked so bad in the ass! We killed the Master! Oh, man...Zander...what did ya do...!_ Kimble broke down into sobs, he was overcome with grief and pain.

_I kept us alive._

_We don't need ya fer that no more_! 'Shay snapped. _Let us die, we have ta pay fer our sins._

**_We's so bad, so very bad..._** Lin whispered in his tiny Siskan.

_I kept us alive an' I'll keep doin' it! The rest of ya kin' all go fuck yerselves! I done what I had to! That's more'n you kin say 'Shay! You killed fer pleasure!_ Zander snarled, angry now at having to justify himself.

_I did not!_

_Fer pleasure! Fer plasma! Or did ya fergit all that already!_

"Shut up! You shut yer face!"'Shay screamed out loud, unable to hide her guilt and shame.

Kimble sobbed loudly, curling up on the bed in the holding cell. He wasn't alone, he could hear someone outside his cell now, speaking on the phone in an urgent whisper. A moment later, soft blue hands touched him, Henry had come. Kimble barely felt it, the tears were streaming from his eyes, hot and blinding. His head was tilted back and a sickly sweet liquid poured down his throat.

"Kill me, please...!" he whispered, his voice a dry croak. "It hurts so bad!"

"Rest easy, my friend. We'll take care of you. Sleep now."

Kimble just closed his eyes and wept. The tonic Henry had devised was fast acting. His head was buzzing pleasantly and the blackness took him, silencing the voices and washing away his pain.

Beast rose and stood over him, shaking his head in frustration. What were they going to do with him? He certainly had no clue. The Siskan's suffering was horrible to watch. Perhaps some quiet and some attention from those who loved him could put this to rights.


	4. Chapter 4

(Four)

Gambit walked up to the cell and lingered outside the door. He'd stayed away while the others fussed over Kimble, spending most of that time getting some much needed sleep, but he could soon tell by Fallen's distress that things weren't going well. It was early afternoon now, Kimble had been home for a little over twenty four hours, most of that time was spent either in misery or in a drugged out stupor.

The pilot leaned now with one shoulder against the wall as he sat, his mangled feet dangling over the edge of the bed. He was buried under a thick comforter with his back to Remy and the door. Lin was the last one out and had hidden them away in his makeshift shroud. Gambit couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not.

Remy scanned his hand to deactivate the security screen and went inside. The pilot didn't respond to the beep of the scan or give any sign he knew he had a visitor. The room was stifling, Henry had jacked up the heat in response to Kimble's constant shivering. The cell was small, it had only a bunk and a small metal table attached to the wall with two wooden stools. A small restroom area was off to the back, a tiny sink with a metal mirror and a toilet were in the furthest corner from the door. Overly warm now, Gambit slid off his coat and tossed it over one of the stools. He came around his friend and sat down in front of him in his line of sight. Kimble was awake, just staring sightlessly off in a dream. A small sliver of drool hung down from his chin.

"Aw, man," Gambit complained. "Dis is so not good, little brother," he teased.

He saw a towel folded neatly on the table and used it to wipe the pilot's chin. Kimble didn't move or even acknowledge that he'd been touched, not a good sign. Gambit waved a hand in front of Kimble's eyes and snapped his fingers. Nothing. He took out one of his playing cards and charged it.

The pilot immediately focused on it, wakened from his stupor by the sizzle and red glow of it. He raised a heavy hand and took the card from Remy. He absorbed its energy, but was disappointed by the lack of heat. It didn't warm him. He looked into Remy's eyes with such sadness and loss, Remy almost burst into tears from it.

"I'm so cold..." Kimble whispered in a voice raspy from disuse. He had barely to spoken to anyone since yesterday.

"You want another blanket?" Gambit replied, unable to think of anything else. Even with his coat off, he was uncomfortably warm.

"Won' be good enough."

Kimble lowered his eyes and returned to his dream.

Gambit lit another card.

Kimble woke and took it. He licked his lips like he was thirsty. "M-my feets hurt all th' time."

"What 'appened?"

"Truck hit me."

Gambit shuddered, thinking of how much that must have hurt. "Dey ain't gettin' no better?"

Kimble shook his head. "Not real fast. Not like b'fore with Fallen."

"Fallen can't fix dat?"

Kimble shook his head with a whimper and looked away again. A tear dribbled down his cheek.

"Gots ta give us a charge," Zander said, his gravelly voice cracked and tired. He was the weakest now with their power so low. He barely had the strength to speak. It didn't hide his worry. "Gots ta fix us..."

Gambit lit another card. The pilot took it, but the power went into him much more slowly. He was getting full. He had taken very little from him and yet couldn't take any more. With that, Remy realized that Kimble couldn't take enough to heal himself. "It ain't workin'. You in trouble, little brother."

Kimble nodded with a small sob, taking Zander's place. He wiped at his tears impatiently. " 'S hurtin' me so bad...Don' tell Fallen 'n Seth. It'll jus' makes 'em worry."

Remy smiled at that, he couldn't help it. So typical of Kimble, never wanting to be a bother. Too bad he wasn't about to let the Siskan get away with it, it was the root cause of all this trouble. "I can't do dat, cher. Dey need ta know so dey can 'elp you, d'accorde? Mebbe dey can find a way to charge you up, fix you."

Kimble sniffed and his voice changed sharply as he was displaced. "No one kin help us. Kills us please, sos the hurtin' will stop."

Remy shook his head at the sound of Lakotashay's voice. He'd been courting this foolish hope that she was gone forever. Oh, well. "Dere ain't gonna be no killin', little sister. Dere's too many super brains in dis house to say dat. We still got lots of hope for you. But dey can't 'elp you if you don't talk to dem."

"They cain't help us. The others are scared, 'specially Zander. He's afraid that without the plasma we'll jus' fade away," the Quitter whispered and another tear fell. "Not me, I hopes we die. I wants ta be dead."

Remy tried to ignore her. He wasn't about to support or encourage any suicidal thoughts the Siskan might have. "What 'appened to you while you was gone, Kimble?"

"**_We wuz bad,"_** Lin replied in his place. **_"We's hurted and killded." _**

"Non. Gambit can't believe dat. You too good in yo' heart to be bad on purpose."

Lin said nothing else, but fell against this caring human, laying his head on Remy's shoulder and gently demanding comfort. Gambit eagerly embraced the pilot and held him, ever so grateful to actually have him back here where he could be touched and felt for real. He closed his eyes and reached out a little bit with his power, ready to listen to his new little voice. She was quick to speak,**_ /His heart is broken, but he loves you still. Use that love to keep him alive. His injury is serious. You have to find a way to charge him and heal him./_**

Gambit listened to Shi'ow-ri. He gripped the pilot tightly and rocked him gently. The comforter slipped off of the pilot's shoulder and he moved to pull it back up. He was startled when he felt how cold Kimble's skin was. In spite of the thick blanket and the stifling heat, Kimble's skin was ice cold. **_/His body is bleeding cold from the inside/ _**Shi'ow-ri continued to advise.**_ /The blanket is keeping him cold, not warm./_**

Gambit paid attention. He peeled the comforter away from his friend, careful of his poor mangled feet. It pained him to see the ugly bruises on Kimble's skin, they were like accusations of neglect. Henry had dressed the pilot in loose fitting hospital pants and Remy took them off as well, not caring that the pilot was now naked. Kimble's body had been quite cold and he moaned happily as the heat from the room now came to his skin. Remy stripped off his own shirt and lay the pilot up against him, warming him up even further. Zander responded to his touch and snuggled against him, seeking Gambit's warmth and growling softly with happiness. It wasn't as good as the plasma, but it would do for now.

" 'S good now. Thanks," Zander grumbled. "Sucks ta be so cold."

"Jus' sit tight," Remy said, rubbing his hands on the Siskan's cold white skin. Kimble was warming up now and Gambit was grateful for his new inner voice. He was learning fast that this power he had now was his new best friend once he figured out how to use it properly, it was certainly helping him now and he was thankful for its advice. "You gotta stop coverin' up. It ain't no good fo' you."

"Lin does it," Zander replied, his voice not so tense and worried as before. "He's got this thing about bein' small."

Remy chuckled softly. "I noticed. Where'd he come from anyway?"

The pilot shuddered in fear and didn't answer.

**_/He was punished/_** Shi'ow-ri whispered. She was much louder now with Kimble's bare skin against his. **_/He did something bad and he was punished. Creed made him come out./_**

"Je suis de'sole," Remy apologized, his hands petting gently now. "Gambit won't ask again."

**_"I loves you,"_** Lin whispered softly, coming out in response to Remy's regret. He said this as often as he proclaimed his terrible guilt. **_"We loves everybody. The bad things, we don't stops doin' them no matter how hard we gets beat. That's why ya gots ta kills us 'fore we does it again. We gots ta be punished." _**

"Non. We made a deal wit SHIELD. You jus' gotta stay 'ere at de house. Dey make de laws, dey said it was okay what you done 'cause it wasn't all yo' fault. We got proof you was abused, nobody's gonna kill you for it. We don't do dat fo' regular criminals, nobody's gonna do it fo' you either," Remy explained, hoping that Lin's issues with punishment were based on rules. "Karen and me, we gonna watch over you. She report to SHIELD on how you doin', when dey say it's okay, you can be free."

"_**What's to stops us from doin' it again?" **_

"You ain't got no reason to 'urt anybody. It ain't gonna happen again."

"**_It happens all the time!"_** Lin wailed, tensing up. **_"We does the baddest bloodiest things! 'Shay killded the small ones, Zander the Master. It jus' don' ever stop!" _**

"Wait, what you talkin' about? What small ones?"

"He don't mean nuthin'!" 'Shay said, pushing Lin aside.

"Non. He said it, tell me what you done, chere."

"No. You knows I done bad, that's enough. Kill us. Kill us or I'll do it again!"

"Nice try. Your t'reats don' scare me, fille. Gambit's gonna fix you. He gonna fill you up wit so much love, dat you ain't never gonna kill again."

'Shay snorted. "How ya gonna do that?"

"Cause I'm yo' Master now."

The pilot's body gave a big shiver and Remy looked down into the big, startled eyes of the Lover. "What didja say?"

"You heard me. Gambit's yo' Master now. It's done, all down on SHIELD paper an' everyt'ing. You belong to me now."

"Oh, no..." Kimble shuddered and his eyes filled up with tears.

"**_You cain't be the Master! We's gonna be killding you!"_** Lin wailed, bawling now and sending out a wave of distress that sent a bright lance of pain right through Remy's chest.

"Shh, shh. Paisible mainenant, all of you. Listen up. It's gonna be okay. You where you belong now, here wit me like it should have been b'fore you left. You can't 'urt me, it just ain't gonna happen."

"_**We gots a sickness!" **_

"Only in yo' mind. Me and Karen gonna fix dat."

"**_You kin do that? You kin fix it sos we don' hurts no one?"_** Lin asked, his tiny voice filled with wonder and something Remy desperately wanted to hear — hope.

"Dere ain't no one gonna try 'arder dan me," Remy said, emphatically planting a kiss on Lin's forehead. "Dat's a promise."

"Thanks fer savin' us," Zander said, coming out to speak his approval. He was still very tired, but there was no mistaking his relief. "I wuz workin' so hard ta gits us back here. I knew if I got us back you would help us. You kin be the Master of me anatime."

"Merci," Remy said with a smile. He recalled all too well the Punisher's harsh words to Creed. _"You ain't never gonna be the Master of me."_ He'd just been paid a huge compliment. He also had an idea that Zander's help in their recovery would be critical.

"You lie!"

Remy's smile faltered at the sound of the Quitter's voice.

"You got them all wrapped up with yer lies, but you ain't never gonna fool me. You ain't our Master!"

"Oui, chere. I am yo' Master whether you like it or not."

"Ha! Fuck me!"

"Don't 'ave to fuck to be the Master of you. Fallen ain't never laid wit you."

"Yeah, an' look at how well that turned out. Yer sayin' the words, but you don't means it fer real!" she spat out, her eyes mean and hard.

"Bein' a Master ain't about fuckin', it's about lovin'. I love you," Remy said, the words out of his mouth before he realized it. It dawned on him that he'd spoken the absolute truth and he had nothing to fear from it.

"No you don't!" the Quitter said with a snort.

Remy rose to the challenge, her taunt required it. "Non? You still don' believe me after all dis time? Well, here goes." He tipped her head back and kissed her full on the mouth, doing his best to think of all the love he had in his heart.

His kiss was received and returned in kind. When Remy opened his eyes, he was looking once more into the eyes of the Lover, the one he was doing this for. The one he was trying most to save. " 'Ow was dat, eh? You seein' me now, little brother?"

"I sees ya," Kimble whispered, a bit blown away from the love vibration that had come into him so powerful and bright. He felt it, but also saw the truth of what was in Gambit's heart. It hurt more deeply than he could ever have imagined. "I sees ya just fine. You wants ta be the Master of us, but you don't know what it really means. You won't lay with us an' use us proper."

Remy scowled, hearing only defeat in Kimble's voice, something he didn't quite like.

Kimble laughed bitterly, his pale blue eyes tired and sad. He'd seen what Remy desired most and then flashes of other faces — Seth, Mary. The ones who had kept a Master's heart from being totally his and his alone. He felt a surge of pain and resentment towards them as his heart continued to break. He was never good enough and never would be. He wasn't as real as them. He was ugly and in the way. He couldn't hide the anger in his voice when he spoke next. "Ya wants yer wife an' kids. Gonna pass us up fer a girl, fer the one ya really love. That's okay, I understand. It ain't yer fault that we came up on ya and fucked up yer life. Shit happens. I know cuz it keeps happnin' ta me. Gitten' passed over, I mean."

"Kimble --"

The Lover raised a weary hand and pressed his slender white fingers to Remy's lips, silencing him. "You wants ta owns us. Fine. We ain't goin' nowheres. You wants ta fix us, that's cool, too. I kin see ya needs ta believe it kin be done. Fine. Whatever. You do whatever ya hafta, jus' leaves us alone."

"What?" Remy was instantly angry and confused.

"You stays away from us. Yer the Master onna piece of fuckin' paper, you make the decisions 'bout what happens ta us 'til we die. Fine. Butcha stays away from us. We don' wants ta sees ya no more."

"Wait!" Zander shouted. "Don't listen ta him! He's just crazy!"

"I ain't crazy. I'm just all broke up and tired. Tired of every fuckin' thing. Tired of pain, of livin'. We ain't no good fer nuthin' 'cept fer bein' beat up, shit on and killin' folks. Just ask 'Shay."

"C'est assez! Don't you pull dis shit on me!" Remy snarled, hoping a little anger might spark some of the strong Kimble spirit he knew must still be there. "Don't you give up! Don' do all of 'Shay's work for her!"

Kimble was unmoved. "I ain't gonna do nuthin' 'cept lay here quiet. Gonna shut my eyes, gonna dreams 'bout father an' castles of snow. Gonna dream 'bout his hands on me, his mouth on me. He wuz the only one what ever loved me fer real... an' he's the only one who ever will."

"Yes, Kimble," 'Shay whispered, happy now. "Jus' close yer eyes an' sleep. I'll takes care of everything. We'll see Father again, I promise."

Kimble laughed softly and closed his eyes. "Fine with me, 'Shay. Anatime yer ready, I won't fightcha. G'bye, Remy."

"Non! What about yo' angel?"

The Lover responded without opening his eyes. "There ain't gonna be no angels fer a killin' machine like us. Sheyman wuz a fool ta ever make us think so. We cain't protect nobody, cain't really care fer nobody without killin' 'em slowly, one breath at a time. Hell, we cain't even fuck right no more. 'S no good without the pain. We's ruined. No good fer nuthin' now. Just as well ya don't wants ta fuck us, don' want yer hands on me nohow. Go find yer suckass little wife and fuck the stupid fat ugly cow! Make lots of horrible mutant brats with bright ugly shines! Go away! Jus' go away!"

Remy was instantly furious. Cruelty he had expected from 'Shay, but not this one. This was not exactly how he had expected to be received for his gesture of ownership. Their reunion was supposed to be a happy one. Kimble was supposed to shiver with happiness at his kiss, not send him away. He certainly never expected to be spurned as a lover.

Remy about to say something ugly he was sure to regret, fueled by Kimble's self loathing and refusal of him. He was stopped by his inner voice.**_ /Don't be fooled. He loves you deeply but he thinks he doesn't deserve you and he's trying to make you leave him. He thinks it will help you forget about him and all the bad things he's done. Give him space. When he sees you won't leave, you'll win him back. He's badly damaged inside and out. Fix him. Fix him and worry about the rest later. It's time to leave./_**

Gambit got up, trying to control his anger and hurt. He lay the limp body of his Siskan down, but took the comforter. He pressed the button for the door screen and roughly tossed the blanket out, venting his anger. He began to strip the bed down, not being very gentle about it. He was going to gather anything the pilot could use to cover up with and get rid of it.

"You want Gambit to go? Fine, he goes. But if you t'ink 'e gonna walk outta 'ere an' let you die, you one very mistaken Siskan, eh? Gambit will fix you. Gonna get yo' ass all straightened out, je promets. Y'know what? He gonna make sure you find dat angel, too, if 'e got to grab de bitch an' toss de fille in 'ere kickin' an' screamin'. You 'earin' me? Comprenez-vous!" Remy snarled right in Kimble's face.

Kimble whimpered, withering under Gambit's wrath. He covered his face with his hands and sobbed weakly into the mattress.

"You know why, eh? Gambit's gonna do dis 'cause he love you. 'Cause he de Master now an' when ya own sumptin', you got an obligation to take care of it good. Dis might be a little strange to you, 'avin' a Master dat actually give a flyin' fuck about yo' pathetic little ass, but 'ere it is. Deal wit it!"

Kimble cried out as if he'd been struck and bawled that much harder. He curled up on the stripped down bed, naked and horribly exposed as he drew his poor battered feet in close.

Remy stood over him, still bristling with pain and anger. So much anger, pain and sadness in this room, it was like a sickness infecting them both. He grabbed his shirt and coat and stomped out.


	5. Chapter 5

(Five)

Gambit stomped into the lower level's public men's room, his anger more than he could control. Of all the possible reunion scenarios he had envisioned, this nightmare hadn't even come close. This was almost like not even having Kimble back at all. The fun loving Siskan who loved to dance and eat cupcakes was gone, or maybe his own memory had been distorted by loss and time, he no longer knew for certain.

What he did know was the empathy boost Kimble had given him was no picnic. Yes, he had Shi'ow-ri, but that last painful conversation had scraped his mind raw. He knew he had bonded with Kimble, it had shown itself in the level of relief he'd felt when the Siskan had been returned, but that same bond had him feeling all of Kimble's pain and it hurt.

This was so unfair! Kimble was a Siskan Courtesan, a creature made for fun and pleasure, a companion that was designed to be the best friend a Master could have. That beautiful creature had been badly ruined and corrupted at the hands of selfish, careless users and it burned Gambit raw. What right did anyone have to do such a thing? To treat Kimble like he wasn't even a real person with feelings? And now that it was done, what the heck was he supposed to do about it? He was just one guy, just a simple thief. It was so fucking unfair!

Fueled by bitter disappointment and resentment for the mess now dumped into his lap, he turned to the stalls and screamed in anger, punching and kicking the nearest metal side panel. He abused it severely, breaking the brackets that attached it to the wall and almost causing it to collapse. He felt a sharp lancing pain in his left wrist, a warning. The pain made him stop, some sensibility returning. He stood as he was, fighting the urge to scream and bawl like an outraged child. It was a tough fight. He didn't give in, but was forced to shut his eyes tight against angry tears of frustration. The emotional instability he'd felt in Boston was back full swing, making his stomach cramp. He didn't know what was worse, his helplessness in not being able to meet Kimble's needs or his roller coaster emotions. They certainly weren't helping him now, not one bit.

He startled when the door to the men's room creaked open. Before he could move, there was a soft rush of air and then he felt familiar arms around him. He jerked and looked up with tear blurred eyes up into Molly's face, mortified with embarrassment when he saw who it was. "Aw, jeez, chere. Dis ain't no good time!"

She humphed at him and tried to get him to lay against her but he pulled away, still angry. He turned away and went to the sinks, starting one and splashing cold water on his face. He was humiliated beyond belief that she'd caught him almost crying. He'd lost control, something that hadn't happened since he'd come back from New Orleans. It wasn't something he wanted her or anyone else to see. He couldn't let anyone think he was cracking up, it was bad enough that Kimble was off his rocker, he couldn't have anyone thinking he was, too.

He dried his face and looked at her, half hoping that she would have left while he washed. No such luck, she was leaning against the wall near the door, not caring in the least about where she was. He sighed angrily, venting and relaxing some, and leaned against the sinks, not wanting to look at her. He was still embarrassed at his outburst and wasn't quite sure what to say. He reached into his pocket and took out a pack of smokes, lighting one. He had been very good about not smoking lately, he hadn't lit up since he'd returned from New Orleans -- not that it kept him form having that emergency pack of smokes at the ready -- but right now he was much too pissed off to say no.

Molly coughed at him.

He looked up at her. "Oui, chere?"

**_What's going on?_**

"Nuthin'."

_**Doesn't look like nothing.**_

He sighed again and angrily scrubbed his hands against his scalp, making a mess of his hair and then running his fingers through it, smoothing it back. He had no idea what to say. He couldn't explain something as complicated as what he felt for Kimble to anyone.

Molly coughed at him again. **_Try again._**

"Kimble... Kimble... He —Urghhh!" Remy snarled, unable to focus his thoughts.

Molly laughed.

"Quoi? You t'ink all dis funny?"

**_No. Just you. He's your friend and he pissed you off._ **

Remy squinted at her.

_**What? Guys can't have feelings? I know you care for him, your scent gets all screwed up around him.** _This was the absolute truth. Remy hadn't been unable to hide the depth of his distress from her, not when he'd first brought Kimble home and was fruitlessly trying to find a way to fix him. She'd seen the look on his face and knew he was suffering. Remy was suffering because Kimble was suffering. She'd heard the others whisper about some strange bond between her thief and this strange Siskan. Now that she'd seen them together, she had no doubt it was true. Molly smiled at him in sympathy and asked, **_Things not going the way you expected?_**

"Sumptin' like dat, yeah. He pushin' me away."

**_Why?_**

Remy squirmed, uncomfortable.

She snorted at him. **_What? Can't talk to me because I'm a girl?_**

"Gambit say he Kimble's Master and de ungrateful fuck tol' me to get lost. Happy now?"

Molly laughed. **_Yes. Don't you feel better?_**

He smiled at her, charmed by her challenge. "Sure. Don't 'elp me wit de problem, though."

_**That's easy. Since when does the servant have the right to chose who's the Master? If he's your property, don't let him push you around. Make him do what you want, not the other way around. It's for his own good, right? You're not going to use him for anything bad?**_

Remy relaxed finally, letting her in. "Non. Gambit just want him all better again, dat's all. Been lookin' fo' 'im all dis time. Guess I t'ought he would be glad to see me. Dat sick fuck Saby ripped his poor 'eart all to shreds. He got Kimble so twisted 'round, he don't know who he is no more. What am I gonna do?"

Molly slowly walked over to him. **_Let him know you love him. It will be enough. Just you wait and see._ _Let him know you'll wait for him, no matter how long it takes._**

They locked eyes and for a moment, he wasn't sure who she was talking about. "Chere..."

She came up close and reached for him, using his coat collar to bring his face to hers. She kissed him, a little more chaste than their last, but making her point. She released him to speak. **_Don't be afraid to talk to me. He's your friend. He means a lot to you. You mean a lot to me. I'll help you with whatever you need. Anything to make you laugh and smile again._**

"Molly..." he said, taking her into his arms and holding her tight. "You don't know how badly Gambit really needed to 'ear dat."

She laughed and he felt her happiness pour into him.

He gave her another squeeze and then gently pushed her back. "P'etetre, Gambit gonna step on 'is own foot 'ere, chere, but you listen up. Gambit care a great deal 'bout you, but you still so young. You can't be wastin' yo' time waitin' on me."

_**It's my life.**_

"Non, Gambit's just yo' first crush."

_**No, he's not.**_

" 'Scuze'-moi?"

_**Tommy Jenkins. He was a guard at the SHIELD place I was at before I came here. He was very nice to me, a proper gentleman. He saw I was sad and he used to tell me jokes all the time to make me laugh.**_

"You a fool for a clown den?"

_**Absolutely. He was a lot older than you and more handsome.**_

"Oh, now you damagin' my ego, chere," he said with a laugh.

_**You kiss better, though.**_

"Oui? You kiss dis guy, too?"

**_It was hard with the face mask and all, but we managed!_** she teased, breaking up into giddy laughter.

"You a silly girl!" he laughed and grabbed for her, tickling her and fooling around. This Remy had needed, a play break. It was platonic and simple fun, something that dispersed that anger like an unwanted cloud. It was gone in a flash and he was laughing like a little kid, enjoying himself immensely. They were wrapped around each other, fingers jammed in sensitive places, when the door opened, followed by a manly protest.

"Hey! This is the men's room! Jesus, Remy! Get a room, all right?" Bobby said, his face crinkled in amused irritation.

" 'Ey! She de one followed me in 'ere!" Remy sputtered in protest, unable to stop from laughing.

"I thought Karen taught you to read," Bobby continued to tease, switching targets to Molly. He held the door open and pointed to the symbol there. "See? Men's Room. Men's Room. Got that?"

**_Men's room. Right._ **She laughed and walked out, dragging Remy behind her. As the door closed, they heard Bobby next start to complain about the big dents Remy had made to the metal stall. She started to lug a snickering Gambit to the elevator but he stopped her when he saw the bundle of bedclothes he had taken from Kimble's cell. He had dragged them along, a reminder that he had someone to see.

"Hold up dere, chere. I gotta talk to 'Enry."

_**How about I make us something to eat?**_

"Sounds great. I'll be right up."

She smiled at him and walked off to the elevator, still laughing softly to herself.

_You one crazy t'ief, if you be t'inkin' bout dat girl_, Remy chided himself as he watched her leave. Impossible that Anya would have him paired with one so young. He couldn't legally touch her for at least two more years. Anya must have meant someone else, he was certain of it, but just who it was wasstill a mystery.

He sighed and walked away, going into the lab. Henry and Fallen were there talking softly, she was teaching him how to build one of the larger cloaking devices for the Blackbird.

Remy cleared his throat. "I need to talk to you 'bout Kimble."

Henry looked up at him with a warm smile of greeting. "Yes?"

" 'E say 'e's in trouble. He can't get warm and 'is feet 'urt."

Fallen stood in surprise. "He spoke to you? He hasn't been speaking to anyone."

"P'etetre, you didn't ask him de right way," Remy replied arrogantly. Her reaction had resparked some of his anger at how no one ever seemed to get Kimble. His frustration came out in the sharpness of his tone, he was more than willing to give her some of the blame and let her have it. She blanched and stepped back, wounded. Gambit didn't care. He continued to speak to Henry. "I don' like 'ow cold he is. Dis cold, it coming from de inside out. Don' let 'im cover up no more, s'il vous plait."

Henry cocked his head at him. He was unsure what was really going on here. The thief was obviously distressed, but Fallen hadn't deserved that little snap. Remy was stressed out over Kimble and it might be affecting his judgement, the thief could be jumping at straws. "Are you sure?"

"Absolument. Check it if you don' believe me," Remy snorted, irritated at having to say the obvious. How was it no one else could see this? Of course he was forgetting that he had Shi'ow-ri as a helper and the others did not.

Henry wasn't angry, but he didn't back down. He was probing as he replied, "Funny how you figured that out and I did not."

Remy paused, seeing something in Henry's eyes. Beast wanted to know how he found out and his first reaction was to be defensive. Still uncertain about his new power, Gambit chose to avoid the details and lowered his voice, backing off. He deflected the jab with a question. "Why he so cold in de firs' place?"

"The plasma raised his body temperature. He's not used to being so cool now without it. He's stabilized, his temperature's not dropping as rapidly," Henry explained. He looked at Gambit curiously, seeing his evasiveness as well as his obvious concern. He wasn't sure if this was Remy taking his role of Master very seriously or something else.

"Stabilized? 'E sits dere all spaced out, drool all comin' outta 'is mouth, different voices talkin' all at once, an' you call dat stabilized!" Gambit snarled, angry all over again and fisting his hands. He was still upset about the difficult conversation he'd just had with his friend and it was coming up on him again.

"Easy, now, Remy. He's all right. He just has to recover. All he needs is time."

"An' his feet?"

"Only time will tell, my friend. I assure you he is getting the best care I can provide for him. In a couple of days I'll move him out here to the infirmary. He won't be so alone there."

"He can't leave de cell, not wit'out Shield authorization."

"I'll get it."

"He need a plasma charge."

"I won't have him on plasma, Remy. It's much too dangerous. Even if I didn't feel that way, we have no plasma producers in house right now. You and Fallen should be able to sustain him with Ristle, even if he's on low power for a while. It'll have to do until we figure something else out."

Remy started to protest further, but the phone rang. Henry answered it and said it was for Remy, but when the thief tried to beg off, he said it was from Tante Mattie, Jean Luc's healer and the thief's surrogate mother. She never called here, it had to be something bad. Gambit cursed softly and took the phone. "Bonjour, Tante. What's goin' on, mon chere?"

Henry stood close by and frowned when he saw Remy close his eyes and turn away. "Oui, oui. I'll be dere. Next t'ing smokin'. What? Non, non. Don' send Philippe...oui, oui, he got 'is pilot's licence, yes, but de boy's gonna crash us. De boy can't even drive a car, I ain't gettin' in no plane wit 'im. I got a man at La Guardia, he'll fly me down, bien? Oui, oui...je t'aime aussi, Tante, oui. Au revoir."

Gambit set the phone down and covered his face for a moment. Henry lay a large blue hand on Remy's shoulder, their uncomfortable conversation forgotten. "You okay?"

Remy nodded. "My father, dey say he takin'a turn fo' de worse. I gotta go. Dis...dis not a good time," he complained, rubbing his eyes in frustration. What spectacularly bad timing, he had more than he could handle with Kimble, and now this.

"You do what you have to. I'll look after Kimble for you, you just take care of what you have to and come back when it's done," Henry said, pulling Remy close and hugging him whether he wanted it or not. The thief looked like he was ready to fall down. "Remember your medicines. Try not to drink too much."

Gambit couldn't help but smile at the big man. He hadn't told Beast that his cures had failed where his Tante's had not. He wouldn't now. "Don' worry. Tante keep a good eye on me."

"How long will you be gone?" Fallen asked, concerned. She knew he had to go but had been hoping that he could get Kimble to talk about what happened to him.

"Don' know. Could be awhile. Got some Guild business I been puttin' off, too," he said, thinking more about Babette than that really. Maybe he could turn this trip around into something good. If he could find her again, maybe she could take him to her Master. He needed answers to all of this. Something, anything to stop this pain. He looked at Fallen. "I'll keep in touch. I want to know 'ow Kimble's doin'. Spend time wit 'im. Don't leave 'im all alone." He stood straight and walked out with his head down.

"I've been sitting with him," Fallen protested to the empty space he'd left.

"It's all right, Fallen. Don't worry. Kimble's in good hands." Henry watched Gambit go, knowing there was more going on here than Remy was letting on. He had never seen Remy this upset about anyone else before except Rogue. He wasn't sure what to do about it, if anything, but he at least whispered a soft prayer for Gambit's safe trip and hoped things would get better. In the meantime, he would check out the hints Gambit had given him about Kimble and see if he could do something to help one of the pair if not the other.

--------------------

Remy packed a bag, thrusting clothes into it mindlessly. He knew he shouldn't be leaving now, but he had no choice. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Jean Luc passed away while he was gone. At least Kimble was supposedly stable, he could hang for a while until he got back. Kimble asked for space, looked like he was going to get it. He didn't look up as Logan leaned in the doorway.

"Where you goin', Gumbo?"

"My father is sick, I gotta go."

"You can't wait? Kimble just got back."

" 'E's gonna die. Jean Luc...'e..'e ain't gonna make it. I 'ave to go."

Remy paused in his packing and covered his face as he felt himself rip deep inside. His father was dying, he had to go and Kimble's hateful words still rang in his ears. He would have to get good and drunk on the plane to recover from this.

Logan waited, smelling the depth of Remy's distress. Like Henry he could see Gambit was messed up, but more than that, he could smell it. That same sickness he'd picked up on Remy back in Baltimore was here and back like a cancer that just wouldn't quit. It had been thankfully absent since Remy had come back from New Orleans but now it had returned, unwelcome like bad news. Unable to do anything about it, Logan left it in Remy's hands. "I'll keep an eye on your Kimble," Logan promised soothingly, the least he could do, Remy's body was screaming tortured pain.

"Kimble's real sick, not just in his mind. His body's too cold. 'Enry gonna take care of 'im de best he can, but Gambit's worried 'bout de bounty, aussi, 'bout de hawks circlin'. Jael still out dere."

"Nobody's gonna come in here, that's I promise I know I can keep. Even if Creed walked in here he ain't leavin' in one piece."

Remy squinted up at him. "You t'ink dat sick fuck still alive?"

"If there's anything I've learned in all this time, it's that with Sabretooth, anything's possible."

"If does come back, don' let Saby take my Kimble, comprenez? I don' know what dat freak did to him, but he's got Kimble's head twisted so far 'round dat boy don' know which way 'e's goin'." Remy sniffed impatiently and sighed. "He's broken for real, 'is mind all shattered. He still say 'e don't deserve ta live, he want us to kill him."

"It ain't gonna happen. Don't you worry."

"It would be better, you know? Better dan livin' wit dat bon'a rien, morceau de merde Sabretoot' if 'e come back. Never t'ought I would ever say dat."

"It ain't gonna come to that. I got this place locked up tight. Take what time you need." Logan waited a moment before saying, "Seems to me Kimble ain't the only one who's got his head all twisted around. You sure you made the right choice, leavin' him right now?"

"Non. Gambit ain't so sure 'bout anyt'ing. Jus' dat 'e got obligations, comprenez? My father got de cancer, what am I supposed to do? He's gonna die, I have to go."

"That ain't what I meant. I know you ain't said goodbye to Rogue an' yer not going to. But I'll bet my bottom dollar you'll see Kim 'fore ya go. Maybe you should make a choice, the right choice."

"What does dat mean?" Gambit questioned a bit sharply, uncertain where Logan was going with this.

Logan shifted, looking at him with some interest. He hadn't expected the thief to be so defensive and it peaked his curiosity. "The whole time you been here, how many times has Chuck asked you to sponsor someone?"

The question wasn't what Gambit had expected. This was a big school with kids coming in all the time, some of them with emotional problems that needed a little extra looking after. Charles had set up a sponsoring program where some of the senior staff took on these cases similar to a "Big Brother" program.

" 'E ask me twice."

"And your answer?"

"Bot' times, Gambit say non."

"Ever wonder why that was?"

Remy shrugged. "Just never appealed to me."

"So why then is it yer lookin' after Kimble so hot and heavy? Got to be some kind of reason for that. I've never seen you care so much for anyone besides Rogue."

"I ain't in love wit' 'im if dat's what you sayin', you pervert!" Remy blurted out just a little too quickly in response to the suggestive statement. It was out of his mouth before he could stop it and it hung there in the air, too late to be taken back.

Logan just gave a slow, sly smile, his eyes bright with the thought of something gained. "Well now, that sounded just a wee bit defensive if ya ask me, not that I was makin' any kind of suggestion 'bout the two of you. But seein' as how you brought it up, when yer gone, you best give this a lot of thought. I been watchin' you and Rogue rip each other to bits over stupid, silly shit. Kimble ain't never done that to you. I care fer the both of ya, you an Rogue, but he makes yer face light up in a way she never does. I never thought I'd ever say something like this, but maybe yer the best chance that boy's got of makin' it outta here with alla his marbles. Yer the best one of us to be the Master of him. The two of you need each other, anybody can see that. If ya take him fer yer lover ain't nobody gonna care, boy."

Remy was still for a moment, thinking, somewhat stunned that Logan would articulate something so personal. He turned away, not able to look Logan in the eyes as he shoved the last of shi clothes into his bag. "Anya say Gambit gonna 'ave 'is 'appy time, neh? Wife, kids. What about dat? She say I already met my wife! Merde!" Remy snorted in anger. "Couldn't even 'ave Kimble if I wanted to -- and I ain't sayin' I do. Can't 'ave a wife and Kimble at de same time. Fallen push Kim aside fo' Seth and he left. Creed push Kim aside fo' some girl, too, and he broke. It'll be de same wit me, he just about said so."

"He left Fallen 'cause she ignored him. You won't do that, even if ya have a wife. You've learned a thing 'r two about loyalty in yer time here. Charlie's seen ta that. Kimble's your friend if nothing else. You can have them both."

Remy tossed his head in frustration, zipping up his bag and tossing it over his shoulder. "P'etetre, all Anya say is a crock of shit."

"She hasn't been wrong about anything yet, Cajun. Some things just take time. Kimble needs you, you need him. Maybe you two can see each other through this an' heal yerselves...together. The rest will work itself out."

Remy sniffed and nodded. He wanted only to get going. The sooner he got on the plane, the sooner he could get drunk. "I'll t'ink about it."

"Don't stay away long. You watch yourself, keep safe."

Gambit nodded and walked out.


	6. Chapter 6

(Six)

Six hours later, Remy briskly walked down the hallway to his father's bedroom. A small crowd was gathered there and they parted respectfully when they saw him coming. Gentle hands reached out to him as he passed, Jacques and Philippe were among them and they tried to comfort him. Their vibrations came into him in a gentle wave of sorrow.** _/It's okay. We will be here for you. We love you, do not be afraid. His suffering will soon be over/ _**Shi'ow-ri whispered to him, translating their silent messages.

Gambit hardly heard her. He knew from the moment he'd seen them gathered out here that he'd barely come in time. The pain and grief surging within him was almost more than he could bear.

As he entered the room, Mr. Taylor, Jean Luc's personal physician came forward, his hands held up in caution. "Mr. LeBeau, it's good that you've finally come. He has been asking for you."

Remy was irritated at the interruption in his travel. He could see his father lying on the bed and hear the rasp of his breath. His shimmer was fading even now as he was standing here. "Den let me talk to him, s'il vous plait!"

"Please, Sir! Wait a moment," the doctor protested, putting himself in Remy's way. "My goodness... your face!"

Remy rubbed the bruise there. "It's nuthin'. I 'ad an accident on my bike."

"No helmet? You LeBeaus are all the same. Won't be happy until you've killed yourselves off," the man joked, not unkindly. "You must be told some things first. Your father's had a stroke and there is nothing we can do for him now but make him comfortable. It may be difficult for him to speak. I beg you, do not let him get too excited."

Gambit calmed a bit to ease the tension in the doctor. "Bien entendu. I'll be good, je promets."

"Good." The doctor moved aside to let him pass.

Remy almost bolted to the bed but checked his stride, not wanting to upset the frail old man lying there. He knelt down and took the ice cold hand of his father, the tears leaking out of his eyes before he even had a chance to speak. Tante Mattie was there and she came down next to him, her large brown hands on his shoulders. "Father...!" he breathed, his body shaking from his breaking heart.

Jean Luc opened his eyes and turned his head in Remy's direction. "Dat you, fils?"

"Oui, Father. I came as fast as I could."

Jean Luc smiled then, his eyes glassy and unfocused. "Can't see too good now."

"C'est bien. Gambit sees you just fine."

"I've been...I've been t'inkin' a lot about you, fils."

"Oui? All good t'ings I hope."

Jean Luc chuckled softly. "Bien entendu, mon fils. Dere would be not'ing else."

Remy bowed his head and a soft sob escaped him.

Jean Luc gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Shush now, fils. Listen to me."

"Oui, Father."

"I've 'ad de most pleasant t'oughts. I...I've decided sumptin' dat made my 'eart just shine."

"What's dat?"

"I...I've decided dat you must really be my son. Dere was this one girl...oh, Remy...she would make yo' 'eart just melt. She was one of dem dancers... you know ...like de ones from dat Club I used to take you to all de time."

Remy laughed. "De White Lion?"

"Oui, fils. Dat's de one. De topless place. Oh, de siens on dose girls, dey were magnifique, marveilleux!"

"Oui, father. C'est la ve'rite'."

"Dere was one dere, Mina was 'er name. She 'ave de bright, playful eyes just like you, fils. When I dream...it's 'er face I see. I tell myself dat she yo' mother. Dat she was too scared to come to me wit you...so she just take de long way of bringin' you to me, is all."

"P'etetre...p'etetre, it's true. I like de idea of my momma bein' one of dem, too. Dose girls de prettiest in town," Remy said, eager to agree and give this dying man any measure of comfort he wanted.

"I've left you some money."

"Gambit don't want yo' money. You give 'im a real name and a real home. Dat was more dan anybody else ever give me. It more dan enough."

"I'm giving it to you anyway. Give it away if you like. To de X-men if you want. De work you do dere...it more important dan de Guild...makin' peace...You... you make me so proud."

"Father!" Remy gasped with a sob, his heart breaking in two.

In his fog, Jean Luc didn't hear him. He continued to advise, "Or...p'etetre...give it to dose orphanages like you do."

"You know about dat?"

"Bien entendu, I am yo' father. It my job to know de 'eart of my chil'ren. When you a father... you'll know dis, too."

"I 'ope so. Don't t'ink I could ever be as good a father as you."

"Oh, you wrong, fils. Dere is much love in yo' 'eart. Best git a move on, though. Time's a wastin'."

Remy laughed softly. "Oui, Father. I'll do my best."

"Dat's right, fils. Never know 'ow much time de Lord gonna give you. So many t'ings I coulda done, but didn't 'cause I was scared or jus' got too busy. Don' be like me. 'Ave no regrets. Live yo' life, embrace it. Drop yo' pain, it draggin' you down. Live. Live for me."

"Oui, Father. Je promets."

"Bien."

Jean Luc took another deep breath and closed his eyes. Remy saw his shine flicker and couldn't stop a soft noise of distress. Mattie's hands came tightly on him now, she knew he could see it happening. "Easy, fils. Paisible," she whispered to him. "He's tired. He been waitin' on you, now 'e need 'is rest."

"Non!" Remy wailed, trying to keep his voice down.

Jean Luc squeezed his hand, his shine brightening for just a moment. "Je t'aime, mon fils. Fo' all time."

"Father!"

"Je t'aime..."

"Je t'aime aussi!" Gambit blurted out, desperate to get the words out. "Don' leave me!"

"Always be 'ere...lookin' on you...Live..." Jean Luc's voice trailed out as the last glimmer of his shine flickered and then faded away.

Remy started to cry out, but Tante's hands came around his mouth. "Shush, now. It's over."

He shook and shivered, almost hysterical in his grief. She gently pulled him away to a corner as the doctor came to the bed to check Jean Luc's pulse. A priest came quickly, Last Rites had already been given but he was here to comfort the family. Gambit jerked away from him, almost out of control with emotion. It was coming out of him, Tante Mattie could feel it herself. "Easy, fils. Let's go outside."

He gave no argument as she lugged him out of the room, using a separate side door to avoid making a scene in front of the crowd in the hallway. Gambit was sobbing openly, his legs buckling now and again as he bawled out his pain and agony. She brought him outside through the large house to Jean Luc's garden. It was still winter and there were no flowers, but there were stone benches and statues here making it pleasant to sit at any time. The bench was made of granite but quite comfortable, and there was the pleasant crunch of gravel underfoot. This was one of Jean Luc's favorite places to sit, and one of Remy's as well. He would have many fond memories of this house and this place and she felt it would calm him. She brought him to a bench and let him cry, sometimes crying a little herself as she patted him and rocked him gently.

It took some time for him to quiet, but he eventually did and lay against her, holding onto her arms tightly as he always had as a small child. "You okay now, fils?" she asked him gently, running her hands through his thick auburn hair.

"What's Gambit gonna do now?" he asked softly, his voice cracked and strained.

"Do as yo' father tell you, what else? Find a girl, 'ave some kids, make yo' Tante a grandmother. Dat's what happiness is. Jean Luc knew dis, he a smart man. You take 'is advice, ease dis pain in yo' 'eart."

"Oui, chere. Gambit will try."

"Bien. Dat's more like my son." She gave him another squeeze, letting go when she saw a tall figure coming towards them from the house. Remy sensed his arrival and sat back, wiping his eyes. "Bonjour, 'Enri," he said when his brother came close.

Henri was a big man, just like his father. Unlike Remy, he was genetic relative to Jean Luc and shared his father's tall lithe frame and dark coloring. His hair was long and tied back like most of the thieves in the Guild and he was dressed in an expensive suit. What was most remarkable about him were his eyes. They were cold and ruthless, filled now with a wariness that made Remy distrust him immediately. "We 'ave to talk, frere."

"Not now, fils," Tante Mattie said sharply. "Can't you see dis boy's all broke up inside?"

Henri made a small noise and crossed his arms. "Dis boy ain't been around 'ere in months. Now 'e shows up just in time to remind a dyin' old man dat 'e still alive. Oui, dem some real fine tears."

"I was exiled!" Gambit protested, his face flushing now with anger.

"You come back two year ago. You stay a coupla weeks, mebbe t'ree, dan you leave again. Father don' 'ear from you fo' months after dat."

Remy's face hardened and Shi'ow-ri began to speak as the vibration from the man in front of him came at him painfully. **_/He's afraid of you. He thinks you are a threat./_**

Henri continued. "Don't be t'inkin' you can just start go t'rough de 'ouse takin' what you will. Some t'ings been put aside fo' you."

"De body ain't even gone cold an' now you wanna fight over de scraps?" Remy snapped, rising to his feet. "Fuck you!"

"Boys!" Tante said, getting up herself to stand in between them.

Henri squared off, raising his chin. "Don't get too comfortable 'ere, Remy. You pay yo' respects, take yo' money an' yo' t'ings an' you go."

"Don't need none of Father's money!"

"Den give it away, but you ain't takin' de Guild."

"I don't want de Guild!" Remy snarled, taking a step forward. "I never 'ave!"

In spite of his bravado, Henri took a step back, he couldn't help it.

**_/He's afraid of you and it's not the Guild. He fears you because you're a mutant. He hates them all/ _**Shi'ow-ri whispered.

Gambit retreated, the vibrations from his brother more than he could take. He repeated in a lower tone of voice. "I don't want de Guild, I never 'ave. You kill Paul fo' no good reason, settin' me up like dat."

"Dat wasn't me!"

**_/Liar/_ **"Liar!" Gambit and Shi'ow-ri shouted at once, making both Tante and Henri shiver as the emotion left him in a ripple that could be felt. "Play whatever stupid games you want, but Gambit knows de truth!"

"No one will believe you."

"I do," Tante said firmly with no fear. "I've always known."

"It won't stop me from running the Guild. It's mine! I earned it!"

"You earned it all right," Remy said. "And Gambit's gonna be around when it eat you up alive. De Guild knows its own. You ain't got de right kinda mind to 'old onto it fo' long. Dat's de only t'ought dat give dis boy any comfort. Later, y'all."

Gambit nodded at his Tante and walked away, heading back up to the house. He wasn't eager to hang around a bunch of miserable people like himself, but didn't dare remain near Henri. He was shaking with anger and couldn't trust himself. He didn't get far when a familiar blonde man came jogging out towards him. Etienne was coming, his own tears wet on his face. He came at Remy, his arms out, and the two of them found each other. This time it was Gambit giving the comfort as Etienne cried against him without shame. "I can't believe 'e's gone!" Etienne cried, "I knows 'e was sick, but I still can't believe it!"

Remy gave him a reassuring squeeze. "It's gonna be okay, you'll see. Let's go get a drink, hien? B'fore dem cousins of ours drink it all first, saw Philippe and Jacques on de way in."

Etienne gathered himself. "D'accorde. I could use a good shot right about now."

They headed back up to the house and sat at one of Jean Luc's many small bars to share a bottle of whiskey between them. As Remy poured, Etienne's face suddenly brightened. "Oh, b'fore I forget, dis come fo' you yesterday." He handed him a letter.

Remy took it, recognizing the handwriting. It was from Nancy of the Assassins Guild. "Merci."

Etienne smiled at him as he opened it. "Guess when you make a girl smile, she never fo'get you. Ain't seen 'er around in a while."

"I ran across 'er when I was 'ere last," Remy mumbled absently, his eyes quickly scanning the note. Nancy was telling him that Babette had been spotted only two nights ago in the same club she had picked him up at before. He would check this out as soon as possible. He folded the papers and shoved them into a coat pocket. " 'Enri worries me. He already circlin', makin' sure he still top dog."

"I wouldn't worry too much about 'im. De guild looks after its own. It wasn't gonna survive after Jean Luc anyway. Too big now, got too many factions. I'm already movin' on. Got a small team of m' own workin'. We gonna pull out, move up to Boston and set up shop. Got a nice list of clients. 'Enri don't care, I'm too small fo' 'im to worry about."

"You watch yo' back, cousin. 'Enri ain't no lightweight."

"C'est bien. I know. No worries, eh? Just de 'ere an' now. It's just you an' me, two fine lookin' boys just sharin' a drink. Gonna 'ave to take you out, not'ing like a girl to shake of de blues, n'est ce pas?"

"Heh, got dat right."

"Not to bring y'all back down or anyt'ing, but Jean Luc 'ad me put some t'ings aside fo' you. Dey up in yo' room. Just some papers and some of de t'ings you left."

"Merci."

"Oh, y'know what else? Got dat ol' bike of yours workin'."

"De Harley? You musta been bored, cousin."

"Naw, just a hobby." He tossed Remy a set of keys. "Take 'er out when you get a chance. May as well take it back wit you when you go 'ome. 'Enri was gonna junk it."

"De asshole," Remy muttered. "Merci, fo' de bike, though. I missed it."

"Well, she's up an' runnin', purrin' like a kitten."

"Regular pussy machine, eh?"

Etienne just grinned. "C'est la ver'ite'. I tested it out, works like a charm."

"Ain't gonna 'ave to chisel off no crusty stuff from de seat I hope!" Remy teased, charmed by his cousin's tease.

"Non, I 'ad it detailed when I 'eard you was comin'. She's sweet."

"Merci."

The two of them drank in peace, sometimes comforting others as they passed through. It grew late and Remy went up to his room. As promised, there was a box on his bed. He opened it and pulled out a brown envelope thick with papers. It was his father's stationary and his name was on it in his father's handwriting. Remy opened it and his eyes opened wide. His father had left him money all right, twenty-five million dollars in a bank account already set up. All he had to do was activate it with a code number. It was Swedish account, sheltered nicely. It came with a credit card, one of those Diamond American Express cards, one given out only to the very rich. It was a ticket for whatever pleasure he might have in mind, complete freedom. There were more papers, some stocks and bonds his father had included as well. Remy couldn't help but let another tear dribble out of his eyes. His father had done this to set him free, to allow him to do whatever he wanted to do with his life. Gambit didn't need the money, he had plenty stashed away, but Jean Luc didn't know that. It was the thought that counted and Remy felt another surge of grief threatening to swamp him.

He put the envelope aside for now and reached into the box again. It was filled with trinkets of another life. He smiled and felt more tears run as he picked up the small brass statue he'd recovered from that mysterious house, his first victory as a budding young thief. He ran his fingers over it, really looking at it for the first time. His heart quickened when he realized that what he'd assumed was merely a winged woman, was in fact a crude molded figure of a Dognan pilot just like Fallen. He didn't want to believe it, but couldn't deny what he was holding in his hands. "What de 'ell?" he whispered softly to the empty room. "C'est impossible..."

He didn't get an answer to his question. He turned when he heard a soft knock on his door. It was his Tante, coming to say goodnight. "How you feelin', fils?"

"Je suis bien, chere. No worries."

"Bien. I'll see you in de mornin'. Dey gonna 'ave a wake and den de funeral de day after."

"Oui, Etienne tell me. I'm gonna need a suit."

"Si bien. Yo' father's tailor be 'ere in de mornin' fo' you and de boys."

"Merci, Tante."

"Bon nuit, fils."

"Bon nuit, chere. I'll see in you de mornin'."

She kissed him and departed, leaving him alone once more. Remy was tired, exhausted inside and out. He placed the statue back in the box, a puzzle for another day, and lay down on the bed. The room he was in now was the room he'd always slept in here as a child. It was large and had many windows overlooking the grounds. Ivy grew up the outside walls of the house on this side. That ivy had been his friend, assisting many a silent escape for a night on the town with one of the many fine girls this town had to offer. Lord knew, he had loved it here. Too bad this house would never be the same for him, Henri's last words pretty much clinched that. Once he left here, he probably wouldn't return, not while Henri ran the Guild.

Remy closed his eyes as his long day caught up with him. He didn't bother to undress, he simply rolled over and let sleep take him away.


	7. Chapter 7

(Seven)

The next morning, Fallen and Karen walked into Security, Logan and Seth trailing them like unwanted pets. Karen was here to do an evaluation on Kimble and the others were here to support her.

Karen had gotten very comfortable here in this house. Charles had taken her on as a councilor for the team and she had to wonder if he'd known how busy she would be. Most of her time was spent on educating Molly and she enjoyed it. The girl was taking on quickly and really coming around. It was hard to believe that she had come here in chains, she was now a normal girl in spite of her inability to speak.

Another achievement for Karen had been her ability to get Logan to open up to her. Their conversations were discreet and confidential, the subject matter kept private, even from the Professor. Charles had no room to complain, Wolverine had been very good lately, more focused on himself and the others around him. His relationship with Karen had brought about a sense of peace in Logan that everyone was aware of. What no one knew was that Logan was an almost carbon copy of her dad. She'd been well loved by a very stubborn and bullheaded man. It had taken her years, but she had learned how best to approach him to get what she wanted and how to talk him down when he was angry. It was a skill that continued to pay off for her. Karen was pleased to see she had been accepted so readily here and that no one minded she'd taken up with Logan. Now she hoped to maintain her perfect record by getting this new charge back in better shape.

Karen had read all the material on Kimble she could get a hold of and wanted to see him for herself now. She had the notes from all the meetings she had attended and of course the two Danger Room video files, plus the file from the Friend's of Humanity office where Lakotashay had murdered the security guard. This meeting would generate her first report to Fury as he had demanded.

Remy had been good and faxed her a quick report on Kimble from New Orleans as soon as he arrived. He documented as best he could the four personalities and their dispositions as they had presented themselves to him the last time they spoke. He cautioned her about Zander, giving her a description of the Punisher's Channeling trick with the sword although he still doubted anyone would really believe it. It was the sort of thing that had to be seen in order to be thought real. Karen wondered at what Remy claimed to have seen. She was more curious about his impression that Kimble was split than some mystical transformation too fantastic to be true. If Kimble was a true split personality, he would lose time as one personality usurped the other. That wasn't happening. All four seemed to be conscious at the same time, switching back and forth amongst themselves freely. She didn't know if that was good or bad. Maybe Kimble was really jerking them all around. Either way she was damned if she was going to wait any longer to find out.

The small group came to the holding cells and Logan relieved Bobby who was on guard duty. He sat at the desk and put his feet up, comfortable. He was here to observe and intervene only if Kimble freaked out.

Seth started to follow the two women further, but Fallen motioned for him to stay back. She wanted Kimble to be as alone with Karen as much as possible. She was technically now his therapist and wanted the setting to be as normal as possible. Fallen was here to introduce Karen to her patient, nothing more.

Fallen entered the cell and crouched down next to Kimble. He was out cold, made as comfortable as possible from one of Henry's potions. He was dressed only in a pair of loose boxer shorts and was curled up on his bare mattress. The shorts were made of thin cloth and merely a token attempt to cover his nudity for the prudish. He wouldn't be allowed to cover himself so much that he would grow too cold. Time and repeated doses of Ristle had done nothing to heal his injuries, but Gambit had been correct about taking his blankets. His core temp continued to fall, but it was at a much slower pace now. The stifling heat of his cell was keeping him comfortable. Henry had given Fallen another tonic to give him in case he was stressed out after the session.

Fallen brushed his hair back and whispered in his ear. "Kimble, love. Wake up."

Kimble's hand twitched and he smiled without waking. "Sheyman? Uhhnn...fuck me... please!"

Fallen laughed. "Same old Kimble. Nice try, buddy. Wake up."

His brow crinkled in confusion and he whined sharply as he became more aware. With that awareness came the return of his pain. He opened his eyes and immediately started to cry. "No..no...I wuz sleepin'!"

"Easy, Kimble. It's Fallen."

"What's goin' on? Why'd you wakes me up?" he asked like an accusation. Sleep was his only escape from the constant droning pain.

"I brought someone to see you."

Karen crouched down in his line of sight. Henry had warned her of Kimble's pain and she had promised to keep this short. "Hello, there. My name's Karen." She offered her hand and startled when Kimble suddenly jerked away from it like it was poison.

"Don' touch us!" Lakotashay hissed.

"I won't hurt you," Karen promised. She observed the change in Kimble's voice. The pilot's four voices were very distinctive and convincing. It was creepy and she shivered.

"**_We done the baddest bloodiest things. We'll hurt you. We's vera vera dangerous,"_** Lin said, popping out and forcing Fallen to translate.

"How are you going to hurt me?"

"**_We hurted people jus' bein' around 'em."_**

"Oh, Kim...that isn't true," Fallen breathed, wounded by his belief. She hadn't witnessed Kimble's transformation into a fractured being as willingly as Gambit. She kept herself in denial by insisting this was some kind of game, a way of punishing her for letting him go. She didn't want to think of him of as something other than the playful Siskan he had always been for her.

"You can't hurt me," Karen said, plowing forward. "You're a Siskan Courtesan. You can't carry disease."

"**_Ain't no real sickness. It's our bad luck. We's hurted people,"_** Lin insisted, again for Fallen to translate. The translation didn't hide Lin's pain. His voice sounded so strange, it wasn't natural to hear such a tiny child speak so seriously. He backed away, desperately looking for something to cover up with. Everything was gone so he grabbed his pillow, wrapping it around his head so his face was only barely peeking out. Covering his head like that made him feel small and feeling small was safe. "Go away!" he hissed at her, seeing she wasn't backing down.

"Well, then it's my risk," Karen insisted, offering her hand again once he had settled. She tried to hide her shock at the sight of his body. His physique was beautiful but he was covered with large splotchy bruises from when he'd been shot. His feet were mangled beyond recognition and gave him obvious pain. He was careful to protect them as he had moved the pillow around his head. His partial nudity didn't bother her at all, she was just sad for him that he'd been so terribly damaged and couldn't heal from it. "What do you say? Friends?"

Lakotashay was still very much aware of what was going on and grieved for their lack of power, their telekinesis had faded with the plasma. Lin wouldn't do anything to make Karen back off so she would. Reduced to conventional weapons, she hissed like a cat and gave Karen a shove, toppling the unsuspecting doctor down on her ass. "Leaves us alone, ya fuckin' cuntball! Jeez, ya don' listen fer nuthin'! Fuck off!"

"That's enough, ladies!" Wolverine said to Karen and Fallen, rising from the security desk. "Maybe you two should just back off."

"Are you Lakotashay?" Karen asked, scootching back to give the pilot some space. She wasn't ready to give up yet. "That's who you are, isn't it? The Quitter."

"Yeah. So what?" 'Shay replied, her voice dripping malice.

"Well unlike you, I'm no quitter. We need to know what happened while you and Kimble were away so we can help you get better."

"You cain't do shit fer us or you'd've done it already. Go fuck yerself. Leave us alone!" To make her point, 'Shay gathered the pillow and pulled the whole thing over head, hiding herself away as Lin did.

"Well, that could've been better," Karen sighed and rose stiffly. She walked out, scratching her head. She wasn't about to give up, she was one thing if not persistent. She would make out a report as best she could and come back tomorrow.

"Let me try, Fallen," Seth suggested. He'd seen very little of Kimble since his return and very much believed he could reach his brother when perhaps others could not. Seth was meek and passive, often on the outside of things. He'd been quiet while everyone fussed over his brother without having much of a say. He had decided that now was the time to change that.

"He's upset," Fallen replied, with a dismissive gesture. "Maybe tomorrow."

Seth shook his head and moved into the cell, all done with asking.

Fallen growled in frustration at his boldness. This wasn't typical of him, but she decided to let him have his way. Karen hung at the door of the cell. She wanted to listen and wouldn't interfere.

Seth sat on the floor next to Kimble's bed and whispered. "I love you."

Lakotashay didn't move.

He took this as a good sign and gently eased the pillow away from his brother's head. 'Shay had covered her face with her hands and was still hiding. Seth leaned in close like a lover and repeated his words, laying his hands over his brother's and pulling them away from his face.

In the short time since Kimble's return, Seth had done some research on plasma and the hologram components. He enlisted Henry's aid and also read through some of the texts on Siskan technology Fallen had laying around. He learned that with a full charge, direct contact with Kimble's skin could harm him. Thing was, the Ristle surge had altered Kimble's chemistry, as well as the time he'd been melted. Again, Kimble was his own unique creature and not the same as himself. Seth was guessing that those changes combined with his current weakened state, Kimble's body would not hold enough raw plasma to hurt him. It seemed Seth was right, he felt no tingling or burning sensations as took Kimble's hands into his own, he could touch his brother without injury. Kimble's touch had always been important to him, just this simple thing of running his hands over Kimble's skin sent a thrill right through him. It cemented the idea in his mind that Kimble was in fact home where he truly belonged.

"I love you, Kimble," Seth repeated, pleading softly. "Please come talk to me. I've missed you so much. I love you."

"**_We done the baddest thing,"_** Lin said in soft Siskan. The Confessor was often the first one to speak, but he was closest to Kimble and the Lover was often not far behind.

"Please," Seth insisted, still hopeful, and gave him a kiss. "I love you so much, Kimble. Talk to me, please."

"Go away..." Kimble whimpered, drawn out by the need in his brother's voice.

"Not a chance, buddy," he said, smiling and giving Kimble another kiss.

Kimble opened his eyes. They were rimmed red with his pain and his suffering was plain. "Seth?"

"That's right."

"Yer out now," he asked, his mind blurry. He didn't remember much of the past few days.

"Uh huh. Since July. It wasn't long after you left. I've missed you so much. We've come a long way, you and me. Welcome home."

"This ain't my home. Not no more. Gots no home, no place, no Master."

"Gambit's your Master now. I saw the papers."

Kimble snorted derisively, but all that came out was his pain. "He don't mean it. It ain't fer real. It's just another stupid lie."

Seth was startled to hear the rancor in his brother's voice. It wasn't what he would have expected from his brother speaking about one he so clearly had loved. Seth didn't think arguing would be helpful here so he said, "Well, we're all going to take care of you. Look, I brought you something." Seth had brought a small wooden box in with him, it had his travel checkers set in it and something else as well. He opened the box and took out a bar of chocolate. He unwrapped part of it and took a bite. "This is the best stuff," he said, shivering. He couldn't hide his pleasure any better than Kimble could. He broke off a piece and lay it on Kimble's bed. "Gambit gave it to me. He's the best."

Kimble took his offering and nibbled on it just to be polite. He had a strong association with chocolate and it wasn't with Seth. He had no memory of Remy's departure although the thief had come to see him just as Logan said he would. He was still in and out of his fog and had no sense of time or of what was going on around him. He was growing forgetful and disoriented, something Henry was at a loss to explain. He could only guess it was symptom of Kimble's power ebbing away. Right now, Kimble was hoping his new Master would just leave him for good, but he knew better. Gambit's lecture had cemented that.

Knowing his brother was out of sorts, Seth felt compelled to explain Remy's absence. "Gambit's dad got sick and he had to go. He's been trying to call you since yesterday, but you've been asleep. He's going to call you tonight. Henry will bring you a phone."

The Lover shivered, still frightened at the prospect of using a phone. It would take him a long time to recover from Creed's savage beating, if at all. "Don't wants no phone, I'm tired. I jus' wants ta go sleep," he said sadly. Being awake simply reminded him of just how suckass this world was. He wanted none of it.

"You've been sleeping all day. Play checkers with me."

"You'll lose."

"I don't care."

"Don' feels like gitten up."

"You don't have to," Seth said, refusing to let Kimble get away from him. He grabbed one of Kimble's stools and dragged it over. The furniture in the cell was uniform and functional, that was it. He had a small table with two wooden stools, plus the bed. The stools weren't made for comfort, but they were flat enough for the checkers board. He moved the stool to where Kimble could reach it and set up the pieces. He made the first move as usual.

Kimble reached for a piece but his fingers were sluggish and he had a hard time grabbing it. Seth saw what he wanted and he finished for his brother without comment. Instead he decided to talk about happy things. "The first week I was out, Fallen took me up to the roof and I saw my first sunrise. It was so beautiful and red. Now I know why you like them so much. It's too cold to go out all the time now, but sometimes we do. Fallen puts this big ski suit on me. I can hardly move. It's really quite funny."

"Didja'll see the snow?" Kimble asked, fumbling another move.

Seth helped him again, happy that at least Kimble was willing to play. "Yeah, it was cool. Henry says that all the snow flakes are different. Neat, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," Kimble replied with a soft laugh. He'd forgotten how much he loved the sound of his brother's voice.

"Did you have Christmas where you were?"

"Yeah. Wuz after we moved to the cabin up at Maine. Mary brung us a goose. 'Course she didn' have no idear how ta cook the damn thing. She'd just gone up to the woods an' and shot it without thinking. Guess killers don' do the holiday thing much," Kimble joked with a snicker. "Anaways, I cleaned it all up and cooked it. The Master had a cook book so I figgered it all out."

"Did you do presents?"

"Well, I never wanted ta go out sos cookin' sumpthin' decent was good enough a present from me, I guess. M' Master give me sumpthin' nice."

"What's that?"

"He made loves ta me fer the first time. There wuzn't no hittin', no smashin' me down. Jus' the first time he fucked me lookin' at me fer real. I seen that he loved me deep inside and there wuzn't no need fer him to start out so hard, though I've come ta likes it that way. It's jus' that it wuz diff'rent in his mind. He stopped hittin' me so much after that, 'cept when I done sumpthin' wrong," Kimble said calmly as if what he was talking about wasn't the most horrible thing his brother could hear.

Seth shuddered. "He...he hit you all the time?"

Kimble shrugged and made another move on the board. He moved the piece incorrectly in his fog, but Seth made no move to fix it. He waited for Kimble to say something, but his brother seemed a little lost. "Kimble?"

"Shure he hit me," Kimble said eventually in his own defense. He'd been thinking of how to explain this to Seth. " 'S no big deal. Sometimes when yer bad, ya gots ta be corrected --"

"**_We done a bad thing. We used the phone, made the Master angry, so angry... "_** Lin snuck in, right on cue.

Kimble continued as if he hadn't heard the child speak. " --- Gitten' hit feels kinda good mosta th' time. It made him happy. Gots ta make the Master happy. It's the only thing what matters. Doncha likes it when ya make Fallen happy?"

"Yeah, sure," Seth answered numbly. He shivered as much from Kimble's words as he did Lin's soft interjection. Seth used the phone all the time, he didn't understand what the big deal was. He knew there had been an incident with Sabretooth and the phone, but hadn't realized just how bad the punishment had been, no one knew Kimble had been whipped. Whatever it was, it must have been very bad. Before he could press for details, Kimble went on.

"Then ya knows what I'm talkin' 'bout. When they's happy, their shine gits real bright. It's the best thing. Ya sees the shines, doncha?"

"Sorry, Kimble. I don't."

Kimble frowned. " 'S kinda of a shame then. Kin' ya feels the love? Right when her heart's all beatin' in yer head?"

Seth laughed softly. "Yes. I feel that. It's better than chocolate."

"Got that right. Heh... 's good. Sos ya knows what makes her happy cuz ya kin feel it. The shine makes the luvin' so bright. It kills the pain, so ya jus' don' feel it when they hitcha."

"Fallen doesn't hit me."

"Course she don'. Alla the Masters're different. Soon as ya find out what makes 'em happy, it's all good," Kimble said dreamily.

"Fallen isn't my Master."

Kimble snorted. "Course she is. You gonna serves anaone else?"

"I work for Henry and the Professor," Seth said stubbornly.

"It ain't who ya work for, it's who ya comes home to. Shure I fucked the rest of the gang, but when he wuz touchin me...cuttin' me...Oh, God...Them other folks couldn't even come close to what he wuz makin' me feel." Kimble swallowed and shuddered a little, he had shifted from becoming slightly aroused and the movement hurt his feet. He grimaced and continued, wanting to make his brother understand. He was more of a father than a brother to Seth and was trying to teach him what he believed was the truth of their whole existence. "We wuz made ta serve, it's what we are. When ya gots no one ta serve, there jus' ain't no reason ta even be alive."

"Fallen says I serve myself."

Kimble laughed at him a little sharply. "An' if she wuz gone?"

Seth bowed his head down. Kimble had made his point painfully.

"See? I knows ya know what I'm talkin' about. She's yer Mistress just as she useta be mine. Difference is she ain't gonna grow tired of ya an' leaves ya behind."

Karen turned as she heard Fallen whimper in surprise. Fallen had been quiet all this time, horrified from Kimble's words but understanding his twisted logic. She knew something of slavery and Siskan Courtesans. It didn't keep his statement from hurting her deep inside.

"Fallen never left you," Seth protested softly.

"Shure she did, but I unnerstands why," Kimble said with another careless shrug. He was unaware of Fallen's proximity. His sickness made him oblivious to most things around him. He thought when she walked off, she had gone away. He was focused now only on his brother. Even the checkers game was neglected. He made another sloppy move, knocking a piece askew with his thick, resistant fingers. "See, I wuzn't ever who she really wanted in the firs' place. Not once did she ever lay with me, not once an' it wuzn't from me never askin' her. That's how I knew she loved ya like she does. I wuzn't ever good enough, not even fer the meantime 'till ya come out. Even then she couldn't quite trust me, same as I ain't no good fer Remy or anaone else. I'm dangerous. Cain't be trusted. I ain't one person like you are."

"**_We done a bad thing,"_** Lin whispered. **_"We's always been bad." _**

"You were always Kimble to me," Seth said, not wanting to hear it.

"That's cuz it wuz diff'rent inside the system. It's safe there, quiet an' small. Out here, it's all one huge mess. When I gots melted...it jus' made evrathin' worse. I kept gettin' pulled all diff'rent ways cuz 'a what folks thought wuz best fer me, but the Master wuzn't like that. He took one look at me an' said, yer okay just like ya are. Don' care if yer broke so long as yer mouth an' yer cunt is workin'. That's good enough fer me an' it wuz. No lies, no tricks, no stupid stories 'bout angels or some such garbage. I took his pain an' he loved me for it."

"Then why did you hurt him?" Seth asked cautiously.

Kimble sniffed. "Zander done that cuz he wuz gonna kill Remy an' alla yous. I asked the Master not ta do it, but he said it wuz too late ta stops it. He wuz lyin' ta us an' Zander knew it. I wuz too weak to make him pay for it...so Zander punished him. It's all right. The Master said he knew he done wrong an' he fergave me fer hurtin' him so bad. He said he was gonna come an' gits us after."

"**_He cain't come. We killded him,"_** Lin said, making Kimble pause as a tear spilled from his eye. He had forgotten, his dreams replacing reality. **_"We done the mostest baddest bloodiest things." _**

Seth was quick to reassure. "Maybe he's not all the way dead, Kim. Mr. Logan said he can heal."

"His shine... it wuz as good as gone. If... if he don't come then 'Shay will take care of us. Don' matter. There won' be no more pain an' I'll be with my father again. Either way I'll have the love Sheyman promised me," Kimble said, twisting everything all around so he could stomach it.

"I'll take care of us, don't you worry," 'Shay promised, happy that Kimble remembered.

Seth desperately wanted to change the subject. "I wish I had met him. Sheyman, I mean."

"He wuz the bes' Master I ever had. Always made time fer me, played with me. Bes' lover what ever laid his hands on me. Ain't no one ever come close, not even my Kristalay. 'Shay misses him so bad. 'S why she's hurtin' alla the time," Kimble said, closing his eyes. He felt the loss of his father as well and coupled with his present pain, made him wish only for the oblivion of one of Henry's potent tonics.

Seth made another move and waited.

Kimble just lay quiet and shivered.

"You okay, Kimble?"

"Yeah, jus' the hurtin's so bad. Whatever 'Shay's gonna do, I hopes she does it soon. I cain't stay like this...I jus' cain't..." Kimble whimpered, crying again.

"I'll take care of this," 'Shay repeated firmly. "There won' be no more pain."

Seth looked up as Fallen came in, Henry's potion in her hand. She didn't want to hear from the suicidal Quitter any more than Seth did. It was time to be done. "Here, Kimble," she said a little stiffly. She was still hurt from what Kimble had said about her. It hurt only because it was true and she knew it.

Kimble took the drink and knocked it back like a shot of whiskey. He grimaced from the taste, but was happy now. He looked up at her, his eyes already drooping a little. "Stay with me? Jus' till I falls asleep?"

"All right," she replied, happy that he'd even thought to ask this of her. Kimble had been hard and distant, like a total stranger. She used her telekinetic power to lift Kimble's wounded body so she could scootch onto the bed and lay him over her lap and warm him a little. Seth moved in beside her with a smile and they lay Kimble over them like a blanket. Kimble grunted with happiness from their warmth and closed his eyes. He could feel the vibrations of love they gave off for one another and it soothed him. The tonic didn't take long and he slipped away once more. Fallen started to cry, wounded from Kimble's words and her inability to help him any way that mattered. Seth held her, whispering soft reassurances. He was optimistic that Kimble had at least spoken to them and felt that perhaps all this would fix itself, one way or another.


	8. Chapter 8

(Eight)

Remy leaned hunched in the corner of the large LeBeau Mansion's parlor, his face a mask of pain and misery. He was surrounded by people and yet completely alone. The funeral was over now and all the folks had gathered back here at the house to eat and commiserate. The food and the company was good and familiar, but he wanted none of it. He missed his father, it was bright hot ache from deep inside. So much time wasted, he should have been here more.

The morning after his father died, Gambit had called back to Westchester in a moment of weakness. He was swamped with loneliness and pain, so he left a message for Rogue to come down here to be with him. She hadn't returned his call nor had she shown up here. He knew she disliked funerals, avoided them like the plague in fact, but she could have at least returned his call. He shouldn't be too surprised, he guessed. He found himself wondering if she'd ever been there for him at all. Thinking back on Antarctica, he supposed he had his answer. He was alone now and hurting, suffering.

He gave an angry, pained snarl and walked out onto the large porch that surrounded the front entrance. He angrily lit a cigarette, using a sharp pop of Ristle from his fingers, a Kimble trick. It made him pause in his pain and think of the friend he'd left behind. Perhaps Kimble had cooled off some and would be willing to talk to him now. He slid out his phone, dialing the house.

Seth answered. "Yello?"

Remy laughed a little at the greeting. "Bonjour, Seth. How's it going?"

"You okay? You sound terrible."

"I'm gettin' by. Any chance of me talkin' to Kimble, fils?"

"I don't think he wants to use the phone," Seth said timidly. "I think he's scared of it."

"Non. He just bein' stubborn. Just put me t'rough, it'll be okay. It's been t'ree fuckin' days of 'im ignorin' me. I really need to talk to 'im."

Seth agreed, hearing the pain in Remy's voice. "I'll patch you through."

There was a blurping noise and Scott answered from the holding cells. "Detention."

"What? De 'Fessor put you dere fo' no homework?"

"Oh? Hello, Remy. What do you want?"

"Any chance you lettin' me talk to Kimble?"

"He's asleep."

"Den wake him up, s'il vous plait."

Scott grumbled and set the phone down. Gambit could hear him unlock the cell and speak. He heard Lin give his tiny Siskan warning and Scott blowing him off, demanding that Kimble come out. There was a sharp whine of pain and Kimble mumbling something, crying.

_Dis was a mistake,_ Remy thought to himself. _He don't want to talk to me._ _I only did dis 'cause I was selfish. Lord have mercy, I miss 'im more'n anyt'ing._

Scott picked back up. "He says he can't talk to you."

" 'E say why?"

"I can't make it out. Something about it being against the rules."

Kimble was blowing him off again. He'd been down at New Orleans for three days now, in all that time, Kimble hadn't spoken to him once. In a surge of anger, Remy demanded, "Tell 'im de Master say it's okay. Get 'is ass on de phone!"

This time Scott brought the phone with him into Kimble's cell. He said with amused arrogance, "Kimble, your Master said it's okay to use the phone. He demands you speak with him."

"**_Cain't use no phone!"_** Lin shrieked. **_" 'S 'gainst the rules! We'll git beats fer it!" _**

"Use it, Lover!" 'Shay cackled."Let's see if Remy's as good with the belt as Kristalay was!"

Kimble screamed in terror. "No phone! No phone! I won't! I cain't! No! Don't need no belt for me! I'll be good, I promise! Git away from me!"

"**_Small spaces! Hide! The belt cain't gits us under here! Hurry!"_** Lin squeaked, his terror plain.

There was a thump as Scott retreated and bumped into the tiny table. The Professor's Second got down on his hands and knees, still speaking into the phone. "He's gone under the bed, Remy. I don't think this is a good idea. He's still all messed up."

Gambit was silent, shaking with anger and frustration. Here it was, his answer to the belt question. He should have known, really. He figured the Lover was avoiding him to sulk, but that wasn't the case at all. Kimble had called him on that night so long ago and Creed had whipped him for it. Not once had Kimble used the phone since then. At the Rally, it was 'Shay who had called him, not Kimble. What had Zander said right before he gave the sword a vicious twist? _"This is fer the belt, asshole!"_ Guess he knew now what that was all about. Damn. Seth had tried to warn him and he hadn't listened.

'Shay was laughing loudly now. "Stupid crybaby Lover! Run and hide! Hey, Master! Come listen to yer Lover cry! Call again! Call as many times as ya like! Fuckin' loser!"

Remy growled in anger, a sound Scott could hear.

"Hey, Remy? You okay—?"

Remy hung up, not wanting to hear any more. He tossed his phone in his fury, smashing it against one of the large posts of the porch. He stomped off, heading for the garage. There was a crunch of gravel as someone from the house followed him to see what was the matter. They were ignored.

Gambit found his motorcycle in the garage and started it up with a loud, well tuned roar. He'd loved this bike and missed riding it. Now he was grateful Etienne had thought to fix it up for him, he wanted nothing more than the personal freedom of a nice long ride alone. It didn't mean he didn't have an agenda.

He backed out and drove off, never seeing his Tante as she came from the house, her face tight with worry. He saw none of those who looked after him. All he saw was his Siskan, his responsibility all smashed and broken. He was going to find Babette and make her take him to her Master. He didn't care how long it took, he wasn't going to stop until he found her. He saw this now as this only way to fix this, to fix his Kimble. The answers had to be out there somewhere and he was damned if he was going to waste any more time.

His search was in vain. Two days later, Remy sat in the bar of his seedy hotel, miserable himself. He was beginning to wonder if maybe he had just imagined the whole thing and she had never been real in the first place. He sipped his whiskey and closed his eyes, defeated and tired.

None of the places Nancy had said Babette would be had checked out and Remy's spirits sank the longer he searched and came up empty. He had left messages for Babette with anyone he thought might take them, but so far nothing had come of it. He wasn't sure what to do and now, feeling defeated, he had made his way back to his hotel and spent most of the day working on a bottle of whiskey he had ordered from room service. He knew Babette probably wouldn't come out until evening so he was waiting. As the hour grew late, he came out to the hotel bar for yet another drink.

Remy jerked suddenly in his chair, sensing the presence of someone coming up behind him. He went right into defense mode -- he had made his share of enemies in this town -- but as he turned, soft silky hands reached around him and covered his eyes.

"Guess who, you?" came a gentle feminine voice as silky as her hands.

"Babette," he breathed in a relieved whisper. He was stunned that she had found him, looked like some of his messages had paid off. "I--"

"Shush. Quiet now. Save the words for later, you should."

She pulled her hands away and let him see her. She was dressed in another shimmering brown dress and just as lovely as he'd remembered. She tugged on him, pulling him from his seat and led him out of the bar onto the street. He allowed himself to be lugged along and dumped into the back of a taxi. He wasn't the least bit surprised when she called off the name of the hotel he had brought her to the first time. "Babette, I don' know if I'm up to dis, chere. It's been real bad for me lately."

She silenced him with a gloved finger on his lips and he just gave in, too tired to argue.

They came to the hotel and she towed him along once more, not bothering to check in. Clearly she kept a room here all the time now. "Excellent room service, they have," she purred as an excuse.

He couldn't help but laugh a little. He'd forgotten the soft musical tones of her voice and the amusing way she jumbled up her sentences. His little Yoda girl. He wondered if her accent and abuse of the English grammar came from speaking another language or if she was just another oddity like Kimble was. He could have cared less, really. He loved her and so loved her voice, no matter what she was saying.

She led him to the same room they had before and he was starting to get a little wierded out. "Dis ain't some kinda sexual obsession t'ing, eh? Gambit's been gettin' a lot of dat lately," he joked weakly, thinking of his pet fractured pilot back home.

"Don't fear, my love. When finished with you I am, let you go I will. Enjoyed my time with you, me, nothing more."

She locked the door behind them and tugged on his coat, undressing him.

"Look, chere. Like I said, dis ain't a good time for me."

"Anyone ever told you, them, that slouch you do when tired and hungry, you are? When's the last time a decent meal you had?"

"Had McDonald's yesterday."

She grunted a laugh and reached for the phone, calling in a full course meal. He just stood there, helpless in his exhaustion. He didn't think he would be awake to eat it. She left him there and started a bath, humming to herself softly. She came and undressed him slowly, running her hands over him as if she was looking for injuries. She didn't find any, all the pain was in his heart. She set him in the bath and soaped him up, washing him down with loving caring hands. He just kicked back and enjoyed it. When the food came, she sat next to him and fed him, talking softly about nothing, just the daily grind of a city he no longer lived in. His mind let go in a warm steamy dream and he zoned out.

Later, when she took him to the bed, he didn't fight her. It was the same wild trip as before, drowning in her backwash, but he found that if he didn't resist and just let her take him, it wasn't as frightening as it had been before. It helped having some idea of what to expect. It was wild and wonderful, almost addictive in how much pleasure she was pumping into him. When she was through with him, she held him tightly as before and he slept deeply for the first time in days.

He woke some time later, drenched in sweat as if he'd had a fever. He'd had a terrible nightmare. He'd been in a dark place and his phone kept ringing somewhere around him. He knew it was Molly trying to reach him. Something was terribly wrong, she was in trouble. She was in pain, in terror. He couldn't explain this knowledge, it was just there in his head. He could hear the miserable little device continuing to ring, but couldn't find his phone anywhere. It was ringing just out of range and the closer he got to the sound of it, the more obstacles that came in his way. He could hear Molly sobbing and crying in her agony even though she was supposedly on the phone that was still ringing. He kept calling out to her that he was coming, but she was lost in the darkness, he couldn't get to her. He was filled with frustration and panic, desperate to get to her, but she couldn't be reached. He finally came awake in the hotel bed, unnerved and distraught. He had to call Molly, he had to get to her. He groaned and reached for the phone, but Babette was there speaking softly into it, tying up the line. Her words erased all thoughts of Molly from his mind.

She was pleading softly in Siskan. **_"Yes, yes. He's here. Please, this time let me bring him, me... Yes, understand I do...His Courtesan, something wrong with it there is... Yes, interfere we can't, I know this...Please, just this once... What? Kimble or something like that, he said... All right, when he wakes. Thank you. I love you, me." _**

She set the phone down and he wanted to say something, but as soon as her hands touched him again, he was asleep.

The next time he awoke, he felt better than he had for a long time. The dream of Molly was gone as if it had never happened. The windows were open and he could see the sun starting to set. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, a little lost. He had no idea how long he had been out. "Babette? You still 'ere?"

She came from the bathroom, her brown dress rustling softly. "He wakes," she said with a smile.

"Wow, what time is it?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Almost seven. On Tuesday."

He sat straight, startled. "Tuesday? I been asleep for a whole day?"

"Tired you were."

He shook his head. "Guess so."

"Up for a drive, you?"

"Sure. Where to?"

"Agreed to see you, my Master has."

He was speechless. This was more than he ever could have asked for.

She glided over to him and sat next to him on the bed, ruffling his hair. "Poor little thing you are. Have a shower and we'll go, us."

He nodded and shuffled off to the bathroom. He was excited now and happy. He was going to see Babette's Master and if he did this right, Kimble might be saved.


	9. Chapter 9

(Nine)

Remy watched as the sights of New Orleans passed him by and then they were driving through a more rural part of the City. Babette's Master had a limo sent to the hotel and it picked them up for the ride to where Remy's strange new Siskan friend lived. Before they left, Remy made arrangements for his motorcycle to be sent back to the LeBeau house with a note saying he was okay and that he'd be home soon. He hadn't called home since he'd left so abruptly and didn't want his Tante to worry.

Babette was quiet in the car, looking out the windows, lost in her thoughts. Remy knew this neighborhood well. It was an area reserved for the wealthy and he had grown up not too far from here. He even recognized the gates they pulled up to. He realized they were heading to one of the first houses he'd broken into as a child and he couldn't suppress a small laugh of irony.

"Amuses you, something does?" Babette asked coyly.

"Jus' life, chere. Jus' life."

He had broken into the house...well, he had tried. He was still a novice at the time and easily deterred, but even he could see this house'd had extraordinary defenses. This was the house where Jean Luc sent all of the new thieves to be tested. He had broken a window, grabbed a statue and fled. He'd been chased by dogs --- and something else. Something he couldn't explain. Looking back on it now, it had been right there all along. He'd been chased away by a powerful telekinetic, someone who was powerful enough to create the spikes as Kimble did and toss them at him. He was just too young and unworldly to have known it at the time. His father had, he knew that now. All the young ones had been sent to a place that was impossible to penetrate, the perfect test.

The gates they had come to were made of black wrought iron with small gothic figures of angels worked onto the bars. The impressive structure opened automatically and the vehicle next drove down an impossibly long driveway. Gambit knew just how long it was because he'd had to walk all the way from the street the first time he'd been here and wasn't too happy about it. It seemed like a mile at the time. All along its great length were large lovely trees dripping down leaves and shade.

At last they arrived at the house and came to a stop. The house was enormous, much larger than his father's house had been. It was constructed in the old plantation style, having long porches that surrounded the house with the long tall pillars out front. More lovely weeping willows draped down their long branches all about, making the place cheerful and inviting as opposed to being oppressive because of it's size. The windows were high, almost like doors, allowing ample sunlight to stream inside. That was why it had been so tempting for Gambit as a young thief to simply smash his way in. It lacked finesse but he certainly had plenty of windows to chose from.

No one was there to greet them from the house, they simply stepped out of the car and it drove away to a large garage nearby. Babette led him up the large granite steps up to the house. They entered through a large wooden door into a foyer with stairs that rose up on either side to the upper level. Babette led him up the stairs and down an impossibly long hallway to what appeared to be a library office. Gambit knew the layout well enough, these big old houses never seemed to change. The only surprise came when she led him into the large study and the man who faced him was not even the least bit human.

"**_Good morrow,"_** the Dognan officer greeted him in perfect Siskan, testing him.

"**_Good morrow,"_** Remy returned, hoping this was the correct response.

This strange creature standing before him was huge and fully Dognan, not a scrappy half breed like Jael. It was obvious in the richness of his fur and his fine clothing. He was dressed in a finely crafted cavalry style uniform with all the markings and gold sashes of high office. He also possessed the bent legs of a cat and batlike wings as Fallen did, only brown and lightly furred. His long salt and pepper hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail and a gentle smile teased his whiskers as he looked on Remy with great interest. This was a member of the Dognan elite, Gambit knew instinctively. Some kind of royalty. This was getting interesting indeed.

"**_Babette," _**The man grumbled softly, his pleasant voice deep and low as Frishnan's had been. Frishnan was a Dognan officer Remy had encountered when he had been abducted with Wolverine and Beast in that slave raid so long ago. Frishnan had rank, but he wasn't royalty. He didn't have wings, only a nice uniform.

She glided over to him and crouched at his feet. **_"Master." _**

He gently stroked her head and regarded his visitor. **_"I am Trishnar. How may I be of service?" _**

Gambit introduced himself with a slight bow. **_"Remy LeBeau."_**

"_**Yes, I know. An X-man and a member of the Thieves Guild. I am sorry to hear of the death of your father, he was a good man." **_

"_**You knew my father?" **_

"**_Of course. He had an amusing habit of sending tender young thieves to my house to rob me. I have lived here a long time, Mr. LeBeau. I know everyone here in New Orleans, including you. You're the only one to breach my defenses, I still remember the look of triumph on your face as you did. That and the look of terror as I sent my most treasured guard after you. Aiden does so enjoy toying with his prey. Tell me, do you still have my statue?"_** Trishnar paused, enjoying the look of amused surprise on Gambit's face. The thief had no idea he had been recognized. **_"No matter, it wasn't valuable or I would have sent for it. You have a playing piece. Tell me you aren't trying to join the Game. Only Dognan Royalty can play. You are hardly qualified." _**

Gambit's brain was working fast, confused by Trishnar changing tack. He had no clue what was going on and was afraid his lack of knowledge would get him thrown out. **_"Jael, 'e Royalty, too? 'E look only half." _**

Trishnar growled a low laugh. **_"No, he's not of a Royal House, but his father was so I guess that excuses him. Besides, he holds more pieces than me at the moment. That could change of course. I offer you one million dollars for yours." _**

Gambit almost choked with surprise. **_" 'E's broken,"_** he said, going out on a limb. Trishnar had to be talking about Kimble.

"_**The Games Master can fix him easily enough." **_

"P'etetre, **_Gambit could talk to dis Games Master, eh?" _**

Trishnar laughed again, cocking his head in curiosity. **_"He only comes out once a year, in the Spring. He won't be here for at least another month. What puzzles me is why you care. The pieces hold their value broken or not." _**

"_**Dis one mean sumptin' to me." **_

"**_It's so easy to fall in love with them, isn't it?"_** the Dognan officer asked with a knowing smile. He petted the head of Babette with real affection. **_"They care so very much." _**

"'_**Ow many you 'ave?" **_

"_**Six. And I love them all. It took me years to find them. What fun is a Game if it doesn't last for a long time?" **_

Remy was thinking quickly. He recalled Kimble saying something about how the Dognan loved to gamble. They would bet on the packs in the pens.

"**_Forgive me," _**Trishnar said expansively. **_"It's been a long time since I've had visitors for pleasure. May I offer you a brandy? " _**

"**_Dat'd be nice. Merci,"_** Remy said, being polite. He hated the stuff but wanted to be here as long as possible. He wanted to learn as much as he could before Trishnar saw him for the fraud he was.

Babette rose quickly and went to a small bar in the corner. Trishnar tracked her every movement. **_"Did you enjoy my Babette? She is my favorite, you know. She's restless and I've learned to let her out now and again. Being cooped up troubles her." _**

"_**Yeah, my Kimble de same way." **_

Something flickered across Trishnar's eyes. **_"Kimble did you say?" _**

Remy saw it, not sure what to say next. **_"Yeah. Dat's my boy. Kimble." _**

"_**Hmm. I was wondering where that one had gotten to." **_

_What de 'ell does dat mean! Boy, Remy. You in way over your head! _Gambit thought to himself in a restrained panic. His voice was steady as he inquired, **_"You know 'im?" _**

"_**Yes. He was put into the Game early, but disappeared. Quite frankly, I had assumed he was destroyed. Wherever did you find him?" **_

Remy smiled at Babette as she gave him his drink. He quirked an eyebrow when he saw she had given him a double shot of whisky in a tall glass instead. She had read his shine, knew what he liked and what he didn't. "Merci, chere," he said softly before turning back to Trishnar. **_"De Clan 'ad 'im. 'E found me." _**

"_**Ah, yes. The Clan. Haven't heard of them in ages. But how do you know of them? They are kind of far away for a human like you." **_

"**_Got a one way ticket on de Dognan Express,"_** Remy replied, opting for the truth. **_"We got picked up by slavers about a year ago by accident. Took de scenic route on de way 'ome." _**

"_**Not without a pilot you didn't." **_

Remy just grinned. **_"Well you know, de LeBeaus get around. We 'ave a knack for findin' what we need." _**

Trishnar laughed again. He seemed very relaxed and not as arrogant as the other Dognan officers Remy had met. **_"Too true. Too true. Let's be honest, you and I. I know you don't know about the Game and that you must have acquired your piece by accident. I knew your father well and admired him greatly. I owed him a favor, a large one, and so I will pass it on to you. Whatever you want, name it." _**

Remy took a deep breath. **_"I want Kimble fixed." _**

"_**In what way is he damaged?" **_

"_**He's split." **_

"_**Uhm hmm, yes. That's very common, you know. These pieces, they are all empaths, all "defective" Siskan 'grams. The Lushna-esk they were called back on Siska. The Games Master knows the Siskan codes. If you find him, he can do the repair." **_

"_**Where do I find 'im?" **_

"_**Every March, he comes to Yosemite National Park. He's a lover of wilderness and often camps out there for a month or so. He will be disguised, so you must be clever. I could send him a message so he'll look out for you." **_

"_**Is 'e Dognan like you?" **_

"_**Of course, we all are. He designed the Game. He marked special Siskan 'grams and scattered them for us to find." **_

"**_Dis a scavenger hunt?" _**Remy asked, incredulous.

"_**You're a quick study. I like that in a human. Yes, a scavenger hunt it is." **_

Gambit couldn't help but be a little angry. **_"You know Jael been killin' folks to find 'is pieces? You playin' wit people's lives." _**

Trishnar just grinned. **_"When you live as long as we do, that's all there is to play with that provides any excitement." _**

Gambit fumed quietly, not wanting to insult his host. He swirled his whiskey in the glass and sipped it, irritably.

"_**You are upset. I'm sorry. You must forgive our arrogance. We are a species that makes a living from conquering and absorbing other beings into our culture. This Game is a reflection of that. Besides, the fact that the Game has come here is good for you." **_

"_**Good? 'Ow's dat?" **_

"_**It will keep my people from swamping your world and taking it over. Alphas intrigue us. You can power the 'grams and perpetuate the Game. This world is best left as it is. I have the authority to see that it remains so." **_

"_**Why's dat? You a King?" **_

Trishnar smiled his toothy grin. **_"Actually, yes." _**

Gambit froze. **_"No horse shit?" _**

The Dognan man laughed. **_"No horse shit." _**

"**_If you a King, you can do anyt'ing. Take Kimble out of de Game_** s'il vous plait."

"_**No. He has already been Marked. The pieces will be finding their angels soon. It cannot be done." **_

"_**What are de angels?" **_

"_**Each piece had been implanted with a pre-set code. They have to find something as part of the Game. Each one will find an object of value and power. Whoever holds the most Guardians, will possess the most power." **_

"_**Jael, 'e's t'inkin' 'e can take over dis world wit dat power. What den?" **_

"_**Jael is a tiny little fool with only half a House to inherit. He cannot do as he wishes, no matter how many pieces he holds. Taking over this world is not the object of the Game." **_

"**_What else he gonna do wit all of 'is power? Don' sound like 'e got any other plans,_** homme."

"_**I will not permit this world to come to any harm. Jael is not a problem for you in that sense. I would look after your piece, though. Not all Guardians are created equal. In Kimble I have always sensed something special." **_

"_**You met 'im?" **_

"**_Yes, long ago. I was in charge of the crew that absorbed the Siskans. Me and the Games Master. We were quite taken by the empathic 'grams. We found sixty in all. Kimble was brought to me from the "box" as he called it. A Siskan prison. I enjoyed him very much, but didn't know him long. He was stolen from me after he had been with me only just a few days. I heard the House of Gildon took him. Jealous they were of our Siskans. Gildon is Jael's House. I suppose he believes Kimble belongs to him for that reason, but Kimble is truly mine since I had him first."_** He saw the look in Gambit's eyes and smiled. **_"Have no fear. I won't take him from you. If you came all this way for him, then I'd say he belongs to me no more. Enjoy him, Mr. LeBeau. He will love you like no other. Tell me, what does he look like now?" _**

"_**He a pilot." **_

"_**How magnificent. I've always loved the look of them. I have three myself. Prefers to be a male? He did when I had him as well." **_

"_**Yeah." **_

"**_A male pilot? That's different. I would love to see him."_** He smiled when Remy paused to give him a photograph. It was one of Mary's, a souvenir from Creed's penthouse. Trishnar took in Kimble's green Mark and the strength in his eyes. **_"Yes, I can see why you love him, he's magnificent. How lovely. He must be a handful, I can see the spirit of him. The strongest ones always are. They have such strength, it's why they often prefer to be male. What a powerful Channeler he will be." _**

"_**What dis Channeler? Is it dat trick he do wit de sword?" **_

Trishnar's eyes widened. **_"He's presenting already? How extraordinary. He's stronger than I imagined. Guard him well."_** It was all Trishnar was going to say on the matter. **_"I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, it's against the rules of the Game for me to tell you everything. It is a Game after all. What's a Game without some mystery? Anyway, have you found enough answers to satisfy you for the moment?"_** Trishnar asked, giving the photo back.

"_**Not really, non, but Gambit will take what he can get. You can't fix Kimble y'self?" **_

"_**No, my friend. My knowledge of Siskan only goes as far as the language. You speak it very well. How did you learn?" **_

"**_Kimble taught me." _**It was the simplest explanation.

"**_How nice. Is that all he taught you?"_** Trishnar asked suggestively.

"**_For de moment, yeah. You gonna let de Games Master know I'll be lookin' for 'im?"_** Remy asked, swiftly changing the subject.

"**_Of course. Here, take this." _**Trishnar opened a drawer on his desk and handed him a necklace. It held a pendant of a woman on a sword like the Marks the Guardians wore. **_"Show him this. He will know it came from me." _**

"_**Is dere anyt'ing I can do in de meantime to 'elp Kimble?" **_

"_**Just love him. These 'grams thrive on it, you know. It's what makes them so enjoyable." **_

"_**T'anks for all your 'elp." **_

"**_My pleasure. You are welcome to stay here for a while if you like. You look like you could use the rest and perhaps my Siskans could educate you,"_** Trishnar suggested with a strange smile.

Remy was stunned at the generous offer, he had hardly expected it. On the one hand Trishnar had pretty much spelled they out they were in fact competitors in this mysterious Game, but yet Remy could only sense benign interests from the man. He also had no doubt these Siskans would give him the education of a lifetime and then some. A small price to pay for the knowledge he so desperately needed. **_"I might jus' do dat." _**

"**_Splendid!"_** Trishnar replied happily. It seemed as though he had expected Remy to politely refuse and was clearly thrilled he had actually accepted. **_"Then I shall have Babette prepare a room for you. I will caution you that my Siskans are very protective of me. In this house, it is not wise to be a thief, LeBeau or not." _**

Gambit bowed with a smile.** _"I'm reformed, y' know." _**

"_**The shoes Babette brought home the last time she was with you tell me otherwise. Enjoy your stay, Mr. LeBeau." **_

****

To be continued in The King and Me.


End file.
